Path of a Champion
by Fett-spy
Summary: AU. Naruto is a prodigious martial artist, aspiring to be the #1 pound for pound fighter on the planet, and go down in history as greatest fighter of all time. He'll face many obstacles in his path, from blood-soaked rivalries and losing teammates, to getting the girl of his dreams. Does he have what it takes to achieve his goal? NaruHina, SasuSaku later. M for lemons and violence!
1. Following Through

**Hey guys, this is my first fanfic, so all criticism, good bad and ugly, is greatly appreciated! I've had this idea for a while now, and just recently decided to try and put it to fruition. I know the first chapter is fairly short and straightforward, but i only spent about a day on it. I plan on spending more time on the next few chapters, focusing on conflicts, character development, stuff of the like, so hopefully the latter chapters will be better than this one! Like I said, any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated.**

_Naruto's thoughts_

_Hinata's Thoughts_

**Without further delay, Here it is: Path of a Champion**

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP

"Damn alarm clock" Naruto Uzamaki grumbled as he shut the alarm off. He got out of bed and rubbed the knot out of his neck, trying to give himself a few minutes to wake up. Sighing heavily with an exhausted look on his face, he walked into the kitchen and began throwing a protein shake together. He couldn't help but grimace as he tossed in broccoli, kale, shark cartilage, and coconut water.

"Man I hate broccoli" he muttered Turning his nose at the smell of the vile concoction, he downed it as fast as he could, then headed to pack his bags and get dressed. "Hm...today's the 28th, so that means boxing aaaaaannd..." His eyes lit up when he realized he'd be able to see her today. "jiu-jitsu" he whispered happily. After haphazardly throwing his equipment in his gym bag, he tossed it on the shelf in front of the door, then walked into the bathroom to clean up. "Damn kickboxer" he growled as he replaced the butterfly bandage on a cut over his eyebrow. He decided it was the only blemish amongst the plethora of various cuts, bruises, and scrapes on his face that really needed to be treated. He paused in front of the mirror to look at himself. It never failed to estrange him how a once emaciated orphan, barely a hundred pounds, could've grown into the…well, the 185 pound phenomenal specimen that he was today. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!" He smiled as he checked the time. 7:00. Sometimes he wondered why he did it, other times he couldn't help but feel happy about doing it. Such was the life of a fighter he figured. As he shrugged off any extra aches from the previous day jogging out of his apartment, he couldn't help but smile, his mind drifting to who he would see later.

* * *

Across town, Hinata Hyuga stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. Heading into the kitchen, she started making breakfast, subconsciously stretching as she mixed various berries together with a bowl of oatmeal. Checking the calendar, she nearly fainted when she remembered it was the 28th.

"Naruto-kun..." she breathed happily. Even if she wouldn't see him until the afternoon, she immediately began prepping for the day at a pace that would even make lee dizzy. After a quick shower, and a check over her equipment for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, she headed towards the gym for the day. "I can't wait to see him" she said to herself dreamily, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks at the thought of being so close to him.

* * *

"One two three! Again! One two three! Again! Alright, go southpaw and give me cross-uppercut-hook! Kakashi was sweating almost as much as Naruto. Even after being his trainer for 2 years, he still found his stamina to be insane, to say the least.

"Hya! Hya! Hya!" Naruto yelled as he fired off the combinations at blinding speed. Just as he was about to start firing off punches, the buzzer sounded.

"Excellent work today Naruto, you get faster every time we spar!" Kakashi chuckled.

"Thanks sensei!" Naruto replied with his trademark grin.

"Listen kiddo, like I said, if you ever need a few extra bucks between matches, you know where to find me, right?" Kakashi said as he untaped Naruto's hands.

"Nah sensei, I'm fine! If I ever need anything, I'll come to you first, promise" Naruto smiled.

Besides his coaches, Naruto didn't have any family, he had been an orphan since he could remember. It always made him happy whenever the few people he was proud enough to call family were willing to lend a hand to him. Besides, he made what he thought was plenty of money for his lifestyle (which,being honest, wasn't too fancy of one), but nonetheless, he was happy. As he stuffed his gear into his bag and threw on his hoodie, he checked his phone. 2:00. 'Perfect' he thought to himself with a smile.

"I'll catcha later sensei, jiu-jitsu calls!" he whooped.

"I'll see ya soon Naruto" He replied with one of his one-eyed grins. Naruto couldn't help but always smile even bigger at the sight of his pirate-esque boxing coach. Ever since taking a vicious thumb to the eye in a boxing bout, Kakashi had lost the vision in his eye, and had worn an eye patch ever since. To everyone who knew him, they could never figure out how he was still one of the most prominent boxing coaches on the planet with only half his vision. '_One eye or not, I wouldn't pick anyone else_' Naruto thought as he began to jog home.

* * *

As he grabbed a Tupperware container of pasta from the previous night, he couldn't help but get butterflies at the thought of his next training session. Just recently he'd started to realize how drop dead gorgeous she was. Even moreso, he couldn't understand how he hadn't seen it sooner! At the same time, he had never really felt as strongly for a girl as he did Hinata. Just the thought of her, and remembering how graceful and precise all the movements, both in and out of the cage were, seemed to turn him to putty. Lately he'd been trying to figure out a way to tell her how he felt, but could never follow through with it. Sometimes feelings were just to confusing.

'_I can follow through with every punch and kick I throw, yet I can't seem to grow enough of a pair to ask a girl out? I must be getting kinda soft_' He chuckled to himself as he finished his snack. After tossing the container in the sink, he sprawled out on his futon and decided to take a nap to bridge the gap between now and his jiu-jitsu training.

* * *

"Now from guard, you're going to push down on the knee, and pass to half guard. While keeping pressure on the same knee, throw out to the side, and secure the neck and arm. Can anyone show me how to finish it?" Hinata asked as she stood up from the boy she had been working with. She sighed as she saw his reaction, the same reaction that seemed to occur to every boy she worked with. All of them found her ridiculously attractive for reasons unknown to her. He was practically in a comatose with a grin to rival Naruto's. She smiled as a small blush managed to find it's way to her face.

'_Oh god what's wrong with me, I can't even think about him without getting all worked up!_' As she helped the boy to his feet, watching him shake out of his trance, she checked the clock. 4:00."I wonder where Naruto-kun is…" She mumbled to herself. Practically on cue, she heard the familiar loud greeting to the front desk, followed by the opening and slamming of the gym door.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled as he jogged over. As she turned around, he couldn't help but finding his eyes bugging out their socket as he looked at her voluptuous figure garbed in a sports tanktop, and compression leggings, exposing her toned, yet small abdomen. Her skin glowed as if it were made of alabaster, and it not only framed her body phenomenally, but set her flawless smile, beautiful lavender eyes, and her braided navy hair on top of said figure perfectly as well. '_Gods she's so perfect' he said to himself. 'I don't stand a chance' he thought_.

"Naruto!" She greeted with a smile. Naruto gulped.

"Uh…heh, I…um…I'm ready to train!" He managed to get out. Hinata blushed. '_He's so cute when he does that. I wonder if it's me?'_ She thought to herself.

"Alrighty, let's get started!" she said. As they began to work though the different submissions and escapes, both couldn't help but wonder how their feelings didn't keep them from being able to train with no problem at all. Outside of the gym and the cage, both were nothing but stuttering buffoons around one another. As they both pushed their feeling to the side, they couldn't help but compliment one another's strengths. '_she's so fast! But she still moves with such grace_' Naruto thought to himself. _'__Gods, he's strong, he' but still so precise!_' Hinata blushed at the thoughts.

"You okay Hinata-chan? You look kinda red!" Naruto managed to grunt as he finally managed to pass her guard.

"Oh..um…yeah of course! I'm fine!" she breathed as she locked in an armbar.

"Damnit" he grunted as he felt the tendons in his arm begin to pop. As he tried to catch into a kneebar, she rolled out and they were on their feet once more.

"too slow" she smiled at him. Naruto gulped, even in a training environment like this, he couldn't help but stare in awe at how beautiful Hinata was. Seeing her opportunity, she quickly dashed in and nimbly hopped on him, securing a standing guilliotine choke in the process. Naruto resisted the urge to slam her, and settled for a half-fall half-stumble to the mat.

"Come…..on….Naruto-kun, just tap already!" Hinata managed to speak through gritted teeth. "In...your….drea.." Naruto choked out just before he slipped unconscious.

* * *

To….Naru…Naruto!" Hinata loudly coaxed as she shook him awake. Naruto coughed and shook his head.

"Wha…..what happened?" Hinata blushed furiously,

"I…..um….I kinda choked you…..unconcious." She said as she pressed her finger together nervously.

"Really?!" Naruto exclaimed. 'Man she's almost as strong as Tsunade!' Hinata looked as if she were about to faint.

"I'm really sorry! I swear I didn't mean to! It's just that when I heard you say you wouldn't tap, I pushed a little to far, and….and-" She gushed nervously, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Hinata-chan, relax! It's training! This sort of thing is supposed to happen! And besides, I think it's pretty badass!" He plastered his huge trademark grin on his face for good measure.

"You mean…you're not mad at me?" She asked, clearly taken aback by his positivity on the situation.

"Of course not! Like I said, I think it's awesome!" Hinata managed a small smile as she looked down towards the mat. As the buzzer went off, signaling the training round end, Naruto checked the clock again and sighed. _'Damnit, 6:30 already?'_ he thought glumly. Hinata sighed_ 'I wish we had more time, even if it was only training. I hope he's not mad at me for the whole choke incident…'_ she thought sadly.

"Well I guess I'll get outta your hair Hinata-chan, today was really great!" He exclaimed happily.

"Oh, of course Naruto-kun, I'll see you next time, hopefully with less, umm….incident." She blushed bright red with a small sheepish smile.

"Don't sweat it Hinata!." _'Just ask her out you idiot!'_ "Oh, hey Hinata?" he asked as he felt the temperature in the room raise a few degrees.

"Yes Naruto-kun?" She answered hopefully. _'Maybe he'll ask me!'_ She felt butterflies creep into her stomach at the thought.

"Um, ah….you….er….you were really great today! Just wanted to mention that…eh…but anyway, I'll see ya around!" He half barked, half sighed. _'You fucking BAKA! What is wrong with you?!'_ He mentally screamed.

"Oh, um, you too Naruto! Bye!" She answered sweetly, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice. As he left the Hyuga Jiu-Jitsu gym, he scolded himself. "I'm gonna do it Saturday! I'm gonna do it! I'll be DAMNED if I don't do it!" He yelled as he jogged to his car _'Better get ready for a hot seat in hell my friend'_ He thought with a grimace.


	2. Emotions and a Chance at Revenge!

**Hey everyone, I meant to have this chapter in a couple days ago, but school kinda had me by neck, so I couldn't write all I wanted to. But Thanks to everyone who bothered to view it, favorite it, follow it, and everything in between! You guys rock!**

**As always, any form of reviews and feedback are much appreciated, so don't be afraid to speak up!**

**Also thanks to Rose Tiger for the format tip, and NinjaHero26 for the praise! You guys are great!**

**text**=text

**Thoughts='**_Thoughts'_

**Anyway, without further ado, here it is: Path of a Champion**

* * *

*SLAM*. "Damnit…" Naruto grunted.

"That's what those animals in the cage'll do to ya if you don't pull your head outta your ass!" Jiraiya barked.

"I mean, I get it that Wrestling is great and all, and I love it, but do I really have to wrestle chouji?! I mean for kami's sake, he's almost 100 pounds bigger than I am!" Chouji let out a deep chuckle.

"Wrestle me then." Jiraiya said. Naruto laughed. "you…you can't be serious sensei! You're nearly 45!" He guffawed.

"Then it should be no problem for 'the pound for pound king' then, should it?" Jiraiya gave him a sly grin as he walked over. And stood in front of Naruto. Naruto grinned. Granted he had wrestled Ero-sennin a one time since he'd started training at Sage Smasher's gym, but that had been nearly 5 years ago. Back when Naruto was 14 and Jiraiya was only 39. Besides, Naruto always heard his sensei rambling on about how 'Father time hadn't been kind to him' or 'How his age was starting to catch up with him. When Naruto looked at it, he had wrestled Jiraiya back when he was inexperienced and a hell of a lot smaller. Now, time and strength were on his side.

"Sorry sensei, but you better be ready for a bea-" Naruto was stopped short as he was hip tossed flat on his back.

"Wha….what the hell was that?!" he sputtered, picking himself up. "Never underestimate your opponent baka!" Jiraiya barked with a laugh.

"I wasn't even ready!" Naruto yelped. "Well now you are, so if you think you've got a better shot this time, let's dance" Jiraiya retorted with a smirk.

As Naruto rushed in for a double leg take down, Jiraiya sprawled slighty, shifting hs weight to the lower middle of Naruto's back, causing his knees to give just a little. Seeing his cue, Jiraiya put his arms over Naruto's back, wrapping them around his hips from behind. Naruto grunted, trying to buckle his sensei's legs at the back of his knees, when he was suddenly flipped upwards, his thighs landing on Jiraiya's shoulders. "What the-!" He was interrupted once more as Jiraiya power-bombed him into the mat.

Jiraiya stood up, letting the dazed youth to his feet. "How the….what?" Naruto stuttered, both from the awe at his sensei's abilities, and slightly from the huge slam he just endured.

"Like I said kid, don't underestimate your opponent!" Jiraiya called as he walked back to his office. "Wait! Ero-sennin you've gotta teach me that move!" Naruto yelled after him. "All in due time kiddo, all in due time". Naruto scoffed in dissatisfaction, then turned back to chouji grinning. "Alright big man, let's get back to work!" "You positive Naruto? I still won't go soft, even after a slam like that…" Chouji shuddered at the thought of a slam that big. Naruto answered by tying up and trying to snap Chouji to the mat. Chouji laughed as he tied up with Naruto.

* * *

"Alright Sensei, I'm headed home, take it easy!" Naruto called as he packed his gear.

"Alright kid, see ya around, and next time, try not to be so _distracted,_ Jiraiya said with a wink. Naruto looked at him quizzically.

"What're you talking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh come on kid, I can see it in your eyes plain as day! You've got a girl on the brain" he chuckled.

Naruto immediately dropped the glove he was about to put away, blushing furiously. "I…um…I…uhh…Idunnowhatyou'retalkingabout" he garbled quickly, trying to pack his bags as fast as he could.

"Oh man I didn't think it was THAT bad" His sensei guffawed. "Shut the hell up you perv, what would you know anyway?!" Naruto bellowed.

"Kid, they don't call me 'Ero-sennin' for no reason.,but my name and status aside, , have you told her how you feel yet?"

Naruto tried to find his words as he thought of Hinata. "Oh man….Oh god….dude….no….I can't do it. I was going to tell her but I can't do it. Unless we're training, being close to her, oh man. Sensei she makes my hands shake, my knees unsteady, I sweat even MORE than I do when I fucking train, I stutter like crazy. Everytime I see her my heart skips a beat, I feel like I might puke from all the butterflies going crazy in my gut. Every damn cheesy love song I've ever heard all play at the same time! I-I-I can't do it!" Naruto's words tumbled out one after another so fast Jiraiya could barely understand him.

"Naruto, relax buddy." Jiraiya said calmly with a chuckle. He sat in thought for a minute, trying to put together an analogy for his blonde knuckle-headed pupil.

"Remember Takanoji Yukihama, that former rumble on the waves champion? The man you thought was gonna tear you apart? The man who you demolished in less than 5 minutes?" Jiraiya asked slowly with a smile. "Er, yeah? But what does that have to do with Hinata-chan?"

"Think of it like this. With the Yukihama fight, in the midst of unyielding adversity, you showed the resolve of a man possessed. Even though you may have been nervous, scared, or whatever negative emotions were plaguing you, you focused on what you needed to do, and you succeeded with flying colors!" Jiraiya exclaimed with a grin, just to receive a blank stare from the blonde headed fighter. "Good god how dense are you?!" Jiraiya groaned.

"What do you mean?! You're the one comparing Hinata-chan to that ass-clown of a champion I beat! What the hell are you trying to get at anyway?" Naruto yelled.

"Okay look. When you really set your mind to something, you can do it. Is that a simple enough lesson for you?" Jiraiya inquired flatly.

"You don't get it sensei, this girl is different! I-I-I mean, I've had a few girlfriends here and there, nothing really serious, and I'm POSITIVE that I've never felt like this about another girl!" Naruto stammered. Jiraiya let out a light chuckle. "What's so damn funny?!" Naruto yelped.

"I remember the first time I was in your position kid." Jiraiya paused with a smile, grabbing Naruto by the shoulder. "You'll get her kid, don't worry" Jiraiya gave his shoulder a squeeze then walked back to his office, leaving Naruto to think over the conversation while he packed up his equipment.

* * *

Walking to his car, Naruto continued to mull over Jiraiya's words. '_Maybe he's right, maybe if I just try a little harder, my courage'll come out some more! I mean how hard can it be? Walk in, find Hinata, her dark brunette hair, her heart-melting smile, her gorgeous lavender eyes…Who the fuck am I kidding?_! _I can't do that_!' Naruto's knees began shaking at the thought of asking Hinata out. In the midst of his mental anguish, he realized he nearly had walked past his car. Shaking his head, he hopped in and cranked the ignition. As he drove to Killer B's gym, or "Rapper's Delight Gym" as it was called He did his best to shake of the emotional hurricane raging in his head. Laughing as he saw the sign come into view, he pulled in the parking lot, grabbed his gear, and headed in.

As Naruto entered the gym, he immediately caught sight of a figure that made his blood boil.

Kiba Inuzuka. 5'10", 187 pounds, disciplines: Tae-Kwon-Do, Sambo, and copoeira. Record:12-2-2.

Naruto immediately headed to Killer B, who was busy working pads with another fighter.

"K.B sensei, can we talk for a sec?" Naruto hissed.

"Naruto I'm kinda busy right now bro, catcha in a few, okie doke?" Killer B nodded to him curtly, but stopped when he saw the look he was getting from Naruto.

"Alright Shinji, take a breather, good work by the bro, you're starting to get those slick lighting moves like Silva!" Killer B joked. Shinji gave a smile before wandering off.

"So what's the problem may main man?" Killer B asked. eyeing him warily.

"Tell me what the hell that twinkle-toed bastard Kiba fucking Inuzuka is doing in here." Naruto spat, coating each word with as much venom as he could muster. All he earned from Killer B was a sigh. "Well? What is it?!" Naruto growled. Killer B looked down, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"Naruto, stating facts here, I'm renowned as one of the best trainers muay-thai in Japan. It's not hard to wonder why a contender like Kiba would seek me out to train, ya know? And before you ask, yes I'm aware of the history between the two of you, very good fights by the way, some of my favorites!" Killer B smiled as he tried to ease out of the subject, only to be stopped short by Naruto's vehement gaze. Killer B frowned at the reaction he recieved. "Look, I can't just turn him away Naruto, you know why I can't! I mean, it takes money to run this place! And what kind of goddamn trainer would I look like turning away a fighter simply because someone I train has a problem with them, even if they are proclaimed "rivals". Just look at the bullshit that messed up that Greg Jackson guyover in the U.S! Two of the best light heavyweights in the world! One straight up left, and the other hasn't had a stable relationship with his relationship since! All that stemmed from a stupid rivalry problem between the two of them with same trainer!." Killer B exasperated.

Naruto looked lost in thought, soaking up the details from Killer B's rant. "I really wanna don't wanna lose either one of you man. Come on bro! Just give him a chance! who knows, the two of you could turn into great friends and sparring partners one day! But that aside, we'll figure things out as we go, can you deal with that?" Killer B's voice had a pleading tone to it.

"Whatever" Naruto grunted towards him as he went to gear up.

Killer B sighed as he grabbed the pads. _'I've got a bad feeling my arms are gonna be at the breaking point after this_'.

* * *

Across town, Hinata was running through katas with her karate instructor. "Hinata are you sure you're okay?" Kurenai Yuhi asked her.

"What? Oh! Y-Yes of course! Why wouldn't I b-be?" Hinata asked nervously, smiling at her sensei.

Kurenai found it harder and harder to read the girl orphaned girl she looked onto as a daughter. She still hadn't figured what brought the beautiful woman that stood before her out of her timid, little girl shell. 'Hinata's beginning to mask her emotions with happiness, much like another person she kn-' Then it hit her. Naruto Uzumaki. A small smile came forth on Kurenai's lips. "Oh, you just seem a little…_distracted_, I guess we could say." Hinata froze. Kurenai allowed her smile an inch more of leeway as her suspicions were confirmed.

"W-what? What do you mean? I'm fine!" Hinata chirped happily, smiling for extra measure.

"Hinata, you know you can't fool me, I know there's something on your mind, why don't you just tell me?" Kurenai asked.

"Was it really that obvious?" Hinata asked glumly as she sat cross-legged on the mat.

"Not exactly, it took me a little while to finally figure out what was wrong. But what can you expect, I've known you since you were little." Kurenai smiled, sitting opposite of Hinata. "So? What is it?" Kurenai asked gently.

"Well…i-it's kind of embarrassing…" Hinata mumbled in response.

"Oh come on now, it can't be that bad, just come out with it." Kurenai coaxed. She knew what it was that was bothering, but she wanted to see how Hinata would say it.

"Um…there's this…guy…and…um…he kinda comes to the gym to train…" Hinata trailed off quietly.

"Naruto, I presume?" Kurenai smirked when she Hinata's head jerk up, blushing madly.

"um…..well….yeah…" Hinata muttered, looking away again.

"I can see well why you like him!" Kurenai said quickly. "He's an extremely successful martial artist, a very nice person, and he's pretty sexy if you ask me!" Kurenai grinned with a wink.

Hinata couldn't help but grin back, all fears of her sensei's disapproval fading away. "Seriously! I've only seen him shirtless a few times, but I swear I hear the angels blow their trumpets Every. Single. Time. Those ocean blue eyes just melt me! And his smile, oh god his gorgeous smile! And he's so strong, just….oh my god…." Hinata gushed dreamily, staring off into space, clearly in a Naruto-induced daydream. Kurenai couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"1! 2! 3! Come on man, again! 1!2!3! Again! 1! 2! 3!" Killer B called out vigorously. With each call, Naruto smashed out an elbow double knee combination. Killer B alternated combinations, threw in swipes, feints, everything he could to work Naruto. He could tell the whole Kiba thing was still bugging him. It was times like this that Killer B remembered how much of a double-edged sword Naruto's unparalleled endurance could be. Yes he could fight for an hour straight if he had to, but when it came to training, he'd work himself into the ground without even realizing it. "Alright my man, let's call it a break" Killer B breathed, exasperated at how he was worked out. '_I'm the trainer, and I'M the one getting worked out?_' He chuckled at the thought.

"Alright" Naruto responded flatly.

"Come on Naruto, don't let this thing get to you, please?" Killer B pleaded.

"K.B sensei, you know I'm at least a relatively decent person, and I don't have a problem with ANYONE. Yes there are people I kinda don't like to be around, but I don't have some huge problem or grudge with them." Naruto's voice took an ominous tone as he continued "Kiba's different. He goes out of his way to insult me, make fun of the fact that I'm an orphan, make fun of my trainers, and my standing as an athlete." He met Killer B's gaze as he said his next words, "I've never met anyone as disrespectful as Kiba Inuzuka, and I've met a lot of assholes in my career so far. That's why I'm 'Letting this thing get to me', get it?" Naruto spat.

Killer B was slightly taken aback. Yes, he'd seen Naruto before, but nothing like this. Then he realized something that almost made him explode with excitement. Still taking on a saddened expression, he decided to throw his spur of the moment plan into action. "Naruto, I'm not sure if this is the right time, but when was your last fight?"

Naruto looked at him quizzically, but didn't think much of it. "3 months ago, why?"

"I just figured you could use something to help take your mind off of things, that's all." Killer B responded carefully, not wanting to give things away just yet.

"Well what do you have in mind?" Naruto asked, curiosity prevalent in his voice.

"Oh no one, really." Killer B said casually. "I got word a few days ago from the Rumble on the Waves organization, and they haven't been able to put together a main card yet, didn't know if you were interested?" Killer B smirked.

"A Main event for Rumble on the Waves? Of course I'd be interested!" Naruto exclaimed. "Wait, who's my opponent?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"No one really, just Kiba." Killer B smiled.

Naruto froze, a look of shock on his face, quickly replaced by a grin. He chuckled. "When's the fight?" He asked with a dark smile.

* * *

Exiting Killer B's gym, Naruto was in an extremely good mood. He was going to get the chance to finally settle the score with Kiba, and on the main event for one of the most prominent bush leagues in Japan. It just kept getting better too. The fight was being scouted by various prominent fighting organizations. Everyone from King of Pancrase, to K-1 kickboxing, and there was even supposed to be a few PRIDE and UFC scouts there as well. Oh, and the winner got 20,000 ryo. Naruto grinned maniacally. To get paid twenty grand just to beat the shit outta Kiba, and even possibly get a contract with a premier fighting organization, was just too good of a deal.

He shook his head quickly however, not underestimating the situation in the slightest, Kiba was the only person to go the distance with Naruto, as well as draw him. Twice. Naruto thought of Kiba as nothing more than a couple stains on his otherwise perfect record. 10-0-2. It angered Naruto just to think of the last number on his record. He smiled once more, 'All that's gonna change soon' He thought determinedly. As he tossed his gear into his car, he decided to keep his momentum going. As he headed toward's Hyuga jiu-jitsu, a smile crossed his face as he remembered his talk with Jiraiya. '_Jiraiya's right, I can do this. It's simple, walk in, find her, look at her, throw up form nervousness cause she's an angel set to earth and I don't deserve to even be near her, ask her out, leave in disappointment cause she rejected me!_' Naruto grimaced as he thought.

* * *

As Hinata's gym came into view, Naruto did his best to get his nerves under wraps and muster the courage to walk inside. '_No better time than now I guess'_, he said to himself as he walked to the front doors of the gym. Breathing in deeply, both to release the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, and also in a pathetic attempt to calm his nerves, he walked inside.

**Fairly good cliffhanger if I do say so myself :D.**


	3. Memories and popping the question!

**Hey guys, here it is. Only reason This chapter was so short is because I wanted to give a fight scene so people somewhat get a hint of how the action plays out.**

**ANyway, here we go: Path of a Champion**

Naruto stood in the front room of Hyuga jiu-jitsu, and walked to the front desk, smiling at the frontman, who just so happened to be Hinata's cousin, and another fellow fighter, Neji Hyuga. Naruto couldn't help but grin as he reflected on he and Neji's past, and how they had gone from the worst of enemies, to great pals.

_*FLASHBACK*_

"**LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, GET READY, CAUSE IT'S TIME FOR THE MAIN EVENT OF THE EVENING!"** The announcer paused, allowing the fighters to take in some of the applause. "**FIGHTING OUT OF THE BLUE CORNER, This man is brazillian jiu-jitsu fighter, he stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighing in at 181pounds, 12.9 stone. He hold a record of with 7 victories, 0 defeats, NEJI "THE PRODIGY" HYUUUUUUUUUGAAAAAAAAA!" **The crowd erupted into cheers as Neji's name was called.

"**FIGHTING OUT OF THE RED CORNER, This man is a mixed martial artist, he stands 5 feet , 11 inches tall , weighing in at 185 pounds, 13.2 stone. He has a record standing at 8 victories, 0 losses, 1 draw, NARUTO "HD" UZUMAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!". ** The cheers were just as defeaning for Naruto.

Both fighters never took their eyes off one another, and the tension grew even more as the referee motioned for them to come in.

"Alright gentleman, you both know the rules, protect yourself at all times, listen to my orders at all times. If there's no more questions, touch gloves and let's do this!" There referee barked.

"I will teach you the meaning of fate. You will bow before my hand tonight Uzumaki." Neji hissed. Naruto just stared at him, his sapphire eyes threatening to burn holes straight through his opponent. Both opponents slowly walked backwards to their respective corner, never breaking eye contact.

The referee motioned to each side, calling to each fighter. "Neji! Are you ready?" Neji gave a curt nod. "Naruto! Are you ready?" Naruto nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Alright! Let's fight!

Round 1

Naruto moved in and raised his glove, at least attempting a slight show of sportsmanship, Neji responded with a punch to Naruto's face. Neji immediately swarmed Naruto, backing him against the cage as he unleashed a flurry of punishing combinations, alternating between the body and head. When he felt he had lulled Naruto into a understanding his pattern, he clinched and began throwing knees to Naruto's legs and midsection. Naruto mentally smiled, he had been waiting for the clinch. As Neji grabbed Naruto's head to deliver another knee, Naruto caught his leg, then threw an elbow into Neji's unguarded face. Hearing a sickening crunch, he push-kicked Neji off of him and smiled.

As soon as the elbow had landed, Neji's nose had snapped, sending blood cascading down his face. Neji bared his teeth and threw a superman punch as he tried to cover the distance Naruto had created. Naruto ducked as if by instinct and drove his shoulder into Neji's waist as he secured a double-leg and tackled him to the mat. Following the takedown, Naruto immediately passed Neji's guard, but Neji stopped him in half-guard before he could advance any further. Naruto popped out of his Neji's grip however, and began raining elbows and punches, bloodying Neji's face even more.

Seeing his opportunity once more, Naruto jumped Neji's half guard, and began kneeing Neji's exposed abdomen. Neji attempted to fight off Naruto's grasp, but it was like trying to escape a vice. As Naruto saw Neji began to roll to get away from the flurry of knees, he pass half guard and gained full mount. Neji realized the mistake he had made too late to be able to mount a sufficient defense. Naruto's blows reigned down hammerfists and elbows with blinding speed. Just as Naruto could feel he was about to finish him, the round bell sounded. Naruto stood up and walked to his corner. Neji managed to scrape himself off of the canvas and stumbled towards his corner.

-Naruto's Corner-

"Alright Naruto, you're doing fine, just fine. Keep your striking crisp, don't give him any room to breathe, okay?" Kakashi spoke to him as he iced the cut Naruto received form Neji's first punch. Jiraiya spoke up as he gave Naruto sips of water "Put more force in your transitions, don't be afraid to go all out, wrangle with him and impose your movements. At the same time, you can't go getting sloppy, cuz Neji'll slap you in a submission so fast your head'll spin! Be forceful but precise, Be reckless but conserved, got it?" Naruto gave a small nod in reply. "All right, next round let's go!" The ref yelled to both corners.

-Neji's Corner-

"Sit down" Hiashi Hyuga instructed Neji. As Neji fell to the stool, Hinata began treating his nose, trying to stem the blood flow. "Neji you've gotta avoid his strikes. More importantly, stay off your back! He's tearing you apart from the top. Get him to the cage, get him to the ground, then work your submissions, unless you can inpose the clinch and knock him out." Hiashi instructed. Hinata spread ointment above his eye and on his cheek to cover the cuts Naruto had given him. "You can do it nii-san" Hinata spoke encouragingly "All right, next round let's go!" The ref yelled to both corners.

Round 2

As soon as the bell for round 2 sounded, both fighters went at each other like maniacs. Neji pulled Naruto into the clinch, pounding his body with powerful knees. When Naruto grabbed his leg, Neji jumped and spun his body, throwing his standing leg across Naruto, effectively securing a flying armbar. Naruto gritted his teeth as he heard the tendons began popping as Neji cranked the arm like a lifeline. Naruto barely managed to slip through Neji's legs and into his guard and began reigning blows onto Neji. As Naruto stood up to inside Neji's guard for a standing mount and began smashing down upon him, Neji caught one of Naruto's wrists and lashed out with an up-kick that sent the blonde-headed brawler reeling back. Neji kip-upd and landed a spinning back kick to Naruto's body, sending him crashing into the fence. 'The Prodigy' charged forward with a flying knee, crashing into Naruto's face. Naruto slumped to the canvas, severely rocked by the blow, as Neji brought a heavy knee to Naruto's midsection, casuing him to curl up in defence. Seizing one of Naruto's curling legs into a kneebar, he rocked back as he attempted to submit Naruto. Neji heard the crack, then the grunt of pain, and allowed himself a strained smile, only to have it literally smacked off of his face.

In his instance of inward relaxation, Neji missed Naruto roll and get his free leg out from under his opponent's back, then managed to kick him, successfully freeing his leg. As Neji rolled back, and Naruto painfully got to his feet, the croud was ecstatic, roaring. Various chants of "HD" and "Prodigy" could be heard amongst the viewers, and it seemed as though the fans were favoring both sides evenly. Naruto and Neji circled one another, and Neji smirked upon seeing Naruto's grimace as he tried to put weight on his injured ankle. Just as the two were about to engage, the bell sounded, signaling the end of the round. Neji walked back to his corner and sat down, doing his best to hide his fatigue from his opponent's corner. Naruto limped back to his corner, trying to show the ankle injury wasn't as bad as it really was.

-Naruto's Corner-

"How bad is it?" Kakashi asked worriedly as he placed an ice-pack on Naruto's injured ankle. "It's hyper-extended, and I think I tore a ligament" Naruto responded through clenched teeth. "Jiraiya get the towel, we're calling this fight" Kakashi said as he stood up. "No." Naruto growled as he grabbed Kakashi's wrist in a death-grip. "I'm sick of this asshole's attitude, I'm gonna put him in his place. I'm not backing down now, we're too far in the fight" Naruto said, exasperated. Kakashi looked at his fighter, then to Jiraiya, who nodded. "Let the kid fight, he can do it." Jiraiya said calmly. Kakashi begrudgingly nodded.

"Short time! Short time!" the referee barked to both corners

"You've gotta knock him out Naruto. You can't pull off a submission with that ankle, and you're behind by two points on the scorecards." Naruto looked into his boxing trainer's eyes. "Got it." He spoke quietly. With his words, the bell sounded for the third and final round.

Neji's corner

"What did you do to his ankle?" Hiashi asked curiously, as he gave Neji short sips of water. "I think I pulled it. May have torn a ligament, not sure" Neji breathed raggedly. Neji winced as Hinata pressed the enswell to a large cut that opened up on the side of his head.

"Short time! Short time!" The referee barked to both corners.

"Stay on the outside with kicks, only engage with him if it's necessary. And don't be afraid to target his ankle more if need be." Hiashi instructed. Neji nodded in reply. "Be careful nii-san" Hinata told him cautiously, smearing petroleum on a cut below his right eye. Neji gave her a ghost of a smile as the bell rang for the final round

Round 3

"Alright, Neji! Are you ready?!" Neji nodded. "Naruto! You ready?!" Naruto grimaced, and nodded. "Alright, let's go!" The referee yelled as the bell rang. Neji stalked in, but stayed just outside of Naruto's range, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Naruto circled with Neji, waiting on "The Prodigy" to lash out. Neji began throwing kicks, staying outside of Naruto's range while landing crushing strikes.

Neji decided to go for the finish, which would be the mistake that end up costing him the fight. As he went for a head kick, he smirked as the blonde warrior brought his arm up to block. Seeing his opportunity, He paused and brought the kick down, intending to axe-kick Naruto's injured ankle. It was Naruto's turn to smirk, as he had expected Neji to attack his weak point. Naruto jumped half a step back, sending the injured leg behind him, and turning the maneuver into a modified superman punch, bringing his fist to snap into Neji's exposed face. As the blow connected, Neji stumbled back, signaling the blonde brawler went in for the finish. Gritting his teeth, he advanced quickly, throwing a flurry of strikes at his midsection. As Neji attempted to mount a defense, Naruto took a step back, then, mustering all his strength, threw a haymaker at Neji's exposed temple. Everyone watching saw the picture perfect knockout, as Naruto's fist crashed into the side of his head, sending Neji crumpling to the ground into an unconscious heap. Just as Naruto was about to move in for some well-deserved ground and pound, The referee dived in, pulling Naruto backwards. Naruto smiled as he limped over to his corner, embracing his team.

"**Our referee has called a stop to this match at 4:01 of the third and final round**. **Declaring the winner by KNOCKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUT. NARUTO "HD" UZUUUUUUUUUUMAKIIIIIIIIIIII!" **The announcer bellowed, sending the crowd into a frenzy. All Naruto could hear were the defeaning chants of "HD" and his team showering him with praise as his hand was raised by the referee.

As Neji regained consciousness, it took him a few seconds to realize what just happened. Naruto Uzumaki had just knocked him out. Neji Hyuga. "The Prodigy". The man who came into the fight at 7-1 odds (in his favor of course). He had been KO'd by the one who's fate had been to lose this bout. Not only had Naruto beaten him, but he had finished him. And not only had he finished him, he had done so in an extremely dominating fashion. Neji was completely speechless. 'I…maybe….maybe I was wrong…."

Neji stood up, and walked in front of Naruto, and spoke. "It was an honor to fight you Naruto Uzumaki. Perhaps….I was incorrect in my perception of fate. Maybe life truly is as you've described it, and is meant to be designed by our hand, and not by fate. Thank you for teaching me the error in my ways" Neji bowed deeply. When he rose, he was smiling. Naruto grinned and shook his hand before raising it for the crowd.

_*END FLASHBACK*_

"Well if it isn't 'Hype or Die' himself." Neji greeted with a grin.

"Hey Neji!" Naruto yelled with happily before tackling him with a bear hug.

"Naruto…ribs…..crush…!" Neji wheezed through Naruto's death-hold of a hug.

"Oh shit! Um, heh, sorry!" Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Neji coughed, trying to get the air back into his lungs.

"It's *cough* fine my friend, don't worry! You don't come in today do you?" Neji smiled.

"Well….not exactly, no" Naruto frowned as he looked away. Neji smirked and chuckled. "What's so funny?!" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Nothing Naruto. It's just clear that you're here to see Hinata-sama, unless I'm mistaken?

Naruto froze. "Er…yeah, I, um, need to, t-talk to her about s-something…" Naruto stammered.

Neji's chuckle progressed to a full blown laugh. "She should be getting ready to leave for the day. Good luck 'Naruto-kun'" Neji mimicked Hinata's voice, stifling his laughter as he saw Naruto's blush.

"Ass" Naruto muttered, hearing Neji's guffaw escape through the door.

As he walked to the back, he nearly fainted when he saw her exit the locker rooms. She was garbed in a Fall out boy tee that fitted her upper half flawlessly, with an un-buttoned long-sleeve plaid shirt. Next came a pair of skinny jeans that hugged her hourglass-figured lower half, ending with a pair of converse all-stars. The thing that set Naruto off the most, was her beautiful face. Her porcelain skin framed a smile that could melt the coldest heart known to man, all topped by a pair of lavender eyes that sone nothing but love and happiness, her messy bun of hair seemed oddly sexy to Naruto as well. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind before he made his move, or, well, tried to make his move. With a gulp that seemed to resonate throughout the whole gym, he walked forward to meet her.

"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted warmly, a blush prominent on his tan, whiskered face.

"Oh! Naruto-kun! It's good to see you, but what're you doing here, today isn't your day to train?" Hinata asked quizzically. Feeling her face begin to heat it up, she took a deep breath and forced herself to quell her emotions.

"I….um, haha, I-I kinda wanted to talk to you about something" He barely managed to stutter out, blushing madly as he scratched the back of his head with a weak grin.

"Sure thing, w-what is it?" Hinata chirped. On the inside her heart and head were going racing. _'What could he want to ask me at this time of day?'_ She thought to herself

Naruto gulped, somehow swearing she could've heard it. "I…uh, I, um, I was wondering, that….er, if ….you're not too busy…..if you….I dunno….wanted to do something sometime...or...y'know...hang out or something" Naruto stuttered, trying not to puke from being so nervous.

Hinata was shocked, to say the least. Her eyes were wide and she was slack-jawed, staring at the gorgeous, tan, blond-headed, blue-eyed, sweet, caring, man that stood before her, trying to comprehend what she had just been asked. '_He just asked me out. Right? No, this can't be right. This HAS to be a dream.'_ She was broken out of her stupor as she heard him speak.

Naruto sighed, he knew it was a long shot, but it still made him hurt nonetheless. "I'm...i'm sorry Hinata-chan, I figured I shouldn't have said anything, I'll…..i'll just get going, sorry for bothering you" Naruto mumbled glumly. He began to walk away, but was startled when she lunged and grabbed his hand

"NO! I mean, um, I'd love to do something with you!" she said quickly, a pink tint on her cheeks accompanying her beautiful smile.

"Wha…wait, really?!" Naruto looked back at her in complete and utter disbelief at what he'd just heard. Hinata Hyuga. The most beautiful girl he'd ever seen (and he'd seen a hell of a lot), wanted to actually hang out with him?!

"Yeah….i'd like that" Hinata spoke softly, smiling.

"H-How about tommorow? I know we've got kinda the same training schedule, so m-maybe then?" He asked timidly.

"Sounds perfect" she said shyly.

'_Man…her smile…..whoa….'_ Naruto thought to himself. Shaking his head as his brain finally rebooted, he let some of his natural personality leak back in. "Great! How about I pick you up around 6 and we can go grab a bite to eat?" Naruto asked gleefully.

"I'll…..i'll see you then" She said, feeling her heart about to burst through her chest.

"Yeah….Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto yelled as he started walking away. "Bye Hinata-chan!"

Hinata waved sweetly in return, as she continued towards the door, pausing for a giggle as she heard Naruto screaming at Neji saying he had a date with her. _'Wait…I have a date with Naruto-kun…I HAVE A DATE WITH NARUTO-KUN!'_ Hinata squealed with joy as she ran out the door, embracing Neji.

"So he finally asked you, eh?" Neji chuckled.

Hinata nodded her head vigorously. This had to be the happiest day of her life. "Tommorow" she breathed as she still clutched Neji. "Sorry to go so soon, but I have to get ready! Bye Neji-nii-san!" She cried as she ran out the door.

"Good luck Hinata-san!" He called after her. He still couldn't help but laugh at the situation. _'Finally, after 3 years, that dense bastard finally decided to ask her. Bout damn time!'_

Naruto sped towards his car and hopped in. As the car started and his music began to make the car resonate from it's volume, Naruto couldn't help but grin. "I'VE GOT A DATE WITH HINATAAAAAAAAAAA! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto roared out his window as he drove home.

As Hinata started her car, she couldn't help but feel like she was floating on a cloud. "I've got a date with Naruto-kun" She smiled dreamily. "I can't wait!" She screeched in joy as she drove home.

* * *

Naruto pulled up to his house, and couldn't help but keep grinning as he walked inside. Grabbing a bottle of muscle milk, he grabbed his laptop and began watching Kiba's fights in preparation for their upcoming match. 'Date with a model like Hinata-chan or not, can't be unprepared for my duties' he thought as he watched Kiba K.O his opponent with a flying knee.

1 muscle milk, a gallon of water, 3 plates of home-made stir fry, 2,500 crunches, and 7 Kiba fights later, it was 10:00, and Naruto decided to call it a night and head to bed. As the blonde brawler laid on his back, hands behind his head, he still couldn't help but grin like an idiot. He'd not only asked Hinata Hyuga out on a date, but she'd said yes. Tommorow. '_This is gonna be great'._ He fell asleep with his trademark grin plastered on his face.

**Last things!**

**Enswell-form of eye iron that cutmen use to staunch the bleeding of a cut on the face.**

**"HD"-stands for hype or die. It belongs to UFC heavyweight Pat Barry, and I figured it was kinda fitting for Naruto (lol). PLease if anyone has a better suggestion for Naruto's name, PM me, post it in a review, WHATEVER.**

**As always, reviews, good bad and ugly, are always welcome.**

**Love ya guys!**


	4. The Date!

**Hey everyone! Sorry about the wait, took me a little while to really figure out what I wanted to put in this chapter. Also, something I haven't really mentioned up until now (lol) but I do not own Naruto, nor any of the songs I have listed in this chapter, all belong to their respectful copyrighted owners!**

**As always, feedback, good bad and ugly is greatly appreciated!**

**Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Stalling aside, here we go, Path of a Champion**

"WHAT!" Naruto yelped as he fell off of his futon. Smashing snooze on his alarm clock. "11:00?! Oh wait, Saturday" He mumbled in delight as he wrapped himself up in a congregation of blankets and got back in bed. "SATURDAY!" He screamed. "Oh man! I've got a date with Hinata-chan today!" He couldn't help but smile and gaze dreamily as he thought of the alabaster goddess he was going out with today. "No time!" He mumbled, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

He still had no relative idea on what they would do today. As he brushed his teeth worriedly, he remembered the festival a few of his friends had mentioned to him. "THAT'S IT!" He screamed once more. Glancing at the clock, he grinned. 12:10. The festival didn't start to 1:00, and it only took around 20 minutes to get there. As he sprinted into his bedroom to grab his phone, he slammed into the doorframe, sending him reeling and smashing his head into his wall. Swearing at a level that would make a pirate piss his pants, he ran, albeit slower, back into his room and picked up his phone. "Owwwww" he growled as he dialed Hinata's number. He felt his voice stop in his throat when he heard her on the other line.

"Ugh…hello?" Hinata answered tiredly. Naruto swore to kami he'd never heard anything that adorable.

'Now's not the time to get cold feet you blonde-headed bastard!' He screamed to himself. "Hinata!" He exclaimed happily, worried he may have defeaned her.

"Naruto? What is it?" Hinata asked drearily.

"Um, heh…um, you wanna maybe go out a little earlier?"

"It's only 12:00 though, why so early?" She pouted. It took all of his resolve to not break and let her go back to sleep. 'She's so damn cute when she does that' he thought.

"I, uh, I know it is a little early, but, um, I kinda thought we could go do something, ya know? Instead of just eating! But, I, um, I understand if you don't wanna do anything until later, if you wanna eat that's fine…" He babbled nervously.

Hinata's mind finally woke up and caught up with the conversation. 'He wants to actually do something?!'. "YES! Sorry, I mean, of course I'd like to go out and do something!" She gushed.

"Okay, I'll just see you la-wait really?! Great! I'll be by in 20 minutes! I mean, if that's okay…" Naruto asked nervously.

Hinata smiled. "That'd be great Naruto-kun, I'll see you soon."

Naruto grabbed a jacket as he ended the call, and was in his car in the blink of an eye.

As he drove to Hinata's apartment, he checked the time. 10 minutes. 'Why not breakfast?' he thought with a grin. Weighing his options, he decided to go with Hinata's favorite: Starbucks. "One caramel frappe, 2 pumps of chocolate, 2 blueberry scones, ummm, 1 black tea, andddd, that'll be all!" Naruto spoke to the attendant at the drive through. Practically throwing the attendant the amount due, he sped off, yelling a happy "Keep the change!".

Naruto pulled into Hinata's complex, and punched her number in his phone. "Hey Hinata-chan! Ya ready?" He greeted.

"Oh, yeah! I'm coming out now, one sec Naruto-kun!" She said. As he hung up, he walked towards the door of her apartment, her coffee and pastries in hand. He nearly dropped everything to the ground and fainted. He could only stare at the angelic excuse of a woman stood before him. A pair of high-top sneakers, navy blue skinny jeans, a purple tanktop covered by another one of her lavender long sleeve plaid shirts, unbuttoned down the middle like always. Her porcelain skin framed her soft features perfectly, causing her lavender eyes to practically glow in the afternoon sun.

Naruto had almost the same effect on Hinata. She could only blush, speechless at what she could've swore was Adonis standing before her. Garbed in a piar of flip flops partially covered by some baggy camo cargo pants, leading up to a black muscle shirt that clung to his sculpted midsection very nicely in her mind, with what looked like the initials M.C.S, that looked to be spray brushed on the shirt, covered by a black and orange sport jacket with the sleeves rolled up. His face was what pushed her over the edge. His tan, whiskered face had a smile that could blind the dead. His sapphire blue eyes looked like she could go swimming in them. She even thought the light blush that splayed across his cheeks made him that much more cute.

"Wow…..Hinata…you look….whoa" Naruto's grin got even wider. Hinata couldn't help but blush under his dark blue gaze.

"You look really good too Naruto" she giggled.

"Heh, thanks! Oh yeah! Here, I got you breakfast! Well, it's kinda lunchtime now….brunch I guess?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Hinata smiled brightly at the food. Truth be told she was ravenous, and could use a wake-up helper as well. She graciously accepted the food as they walked to his car.

As they drove towards their date for the day, Hinata couldn't help but ask.

"Naruto where are we going? And how did you know this was my favorite meal from Starbucks? And why do you wanna hang out so early?" she fired off in rapid succession.

Naruto smiled nervously. "Well, whenever you have coffee, you get a caramel with 2 pumps of chocolate, and whenever you have a scone, it's raspberry, so I kinda figured they were your favorite if you ate them all the time! And there's a festival about 10 more minutes away. And I thought why not have a fun date, rather than just some boring meal?"

Hinata smiled as she sipped her coffee, 'This day is already shaping up to be amazing' she thought. "Do you mind if we listen to some music? I mean, if it's not a problem" she asked timidly with a small smile.

"Of course! It's no problem at all! My CD case is under your seat, just grab it and pick! Although I doubt I've got any music you like." he trailed off uncertainly.

" Fall out boy, Rise Against, Motion City Soundtrack, Sum 41, Naruto I love ALL of these guys! You've got the best taste of music of anyone I know! I mean, some of the stuff nowadays is okay, but I don't like a whole lot of it, but GOD, this music set is AMAZING!" Hinata squealed in delight.

Naruto just stared. "You…like my music?" He asked, utterly dumbfounded.

"Dude of course! How could I not?!" These bands are some of the best.

Naruto still looked skeptical. "Favorite song form Motion City Soundtrack's album Go?".

"The Coma Kid!" She answered with a grin.

"Sum 41's Screaming Bloody Murder?" He quizzed.

"Hm, either Reason to Believe or Screaming Bloody Murder." she said.

"YOU PASS!" Naruto bellowed happily. Hinata just laughed.

Both of them settled for listening to Fall Out Boy. Both of them sang along to Sugar We're Goin' Down and had almost the exact same thoughts.

'Man she's such a good singer!' Naruto thought as he snuck glances at Hinata.

'God, his voice is like an angel!' She thought. She occasionally caught Naruto looking at her, and couldn't help but blush.

"Here we are!" Naruto exclaimed as they pulled into a parking spot. Hinata just stared as they walked towards the place splayed before them. When he said 'Festival', she was thinking like a small-country music festival, not like a post war celebration mixed with 20 fairs.

"Um, Naruto-kun? Wh-What is this place?"

Naruto looked at her incredulously. "You mean you're almost as big of a music fan as me, and you don't know about the Fire Nation's annual Arts Exhibition?"

Hinata snapped her head back towards him. "This is the Fire Nation's annual Arts Exhibition? THE Fire Nation annual Arts Exhibition?!" She asked as her voice raised a few octaves.

"The one and only Hinata-chan" Naruto grinned.

Hinata squealed and delight ad pulled Naruto into a huge hug. Naruto was briefly taken aback, but returned her hug just as quickly as he had been startled.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She shouted with glee, still holding him close.

"No problem Hinata-chan." He smiled. "Hey, we'll have plenty of time to hold each other inside, let's go!" He said excitedly, lifting Hinata onto his shoulders as he walked towards the gate.

"Eep! N-Naruto-kun what are you doing?!" Hinata squeaked with a blush

"Carrying my beautiful girlfriend, what else?" He said happily.

Hinata froze. "G-g-girlfriend?" she asked nervously.

Naruto slowed down to a walk, and let Hinata to the ground. "Well, I mean...if you don't wanna be my girlfriend, I guess I understand." Naruto said solemnly, being sure to give his best puppy-faced look to her.

"N-no! That's not what I meant! I'd love to be your girlfriend!" She exclaimed quickly, hugging him

"I'm just kidding Hinata-chan, don't worry" he said laughing. He picked her up onto his shoulders once more, looking up to her with a grin. "Ready?"

"Mhmm" Hinata squeaked in delight.

"ONWARD!" Naruto bellowed as he ran towards the gate with her on his shoulders.

When they reached the gate, Naruto grinned like a mad man. In large black letters next to admissions, **"Hourly eating contests for free admission! Food of choice", **was written. Naruto went to one of the admission officers, "Oi! Where do I enter the eating contest?" He asked.

"Through that way, next one starts in 10 minutes pal" He grunted.

"Thanks man!" Naruto replied cheerily. "Come on Hinata! I got some admissions to win!" He grabbed her hand and sprinted through the alternate entrance.

"Why are we doing this Naruto-kun? Why don't we just pay normally?" She asked curiously.

"First, the prices are outlandish, Second, I get a free meal PLUS I win us an admission! How can you beat that?" He yelped with a grin.

Hinata blushed lightly and giggled, "I guess you can't" she replied happily.

"NEXT CONTEST WILL BE STARTING SOON, TAKE A SEAT AND PICK YOUR FOOD" The couple heard the announcer call through his megaphone.

Naruto took a seat, Hinata sat next to him. "Naruto-kun are you sure you can do this? I mean, they usually set a challenge that'll make most people sick." she blurted out.

Naruto just grinned. "I can eat anyone, and I mean ANYONE, under the table! Except maybe Choji...But that doesn't matter! Here I'll prove it! OI PROCTOR!" He yelled at the announcer. The announcer walked over questionably.

"How can I help you sir?" He asked curiously. "I bet you 500 ryo and admission for the beautiful lady next to me, that I can eat 15 of the largest bowls you can make!" Naruto pulled out the paper ryo and slapped it on the table, winking at the blushing pale beauty next to him. The proctor just grinned evilly.

"Let's see how you're stomach backs up your words my friend. You've got yourself a deal!" He chuckled as he trotted back up to the stand, signalling ramen for the table Naruto and Hinata were seated at

"THE CONTEST WILL BE STARTING IN 3...2...1...BEGIN!" the proctor barked

Naruto broke apart his chopsticks and began slurping like a man possessed. Hinata watched in a mixture of horror, worry, and awe as he burned through bowl after bowl of miso ramen. She felt her breath hitch when Naruto pause with a grimace on his 9th bowl, only for him to unleash a mach 2 burp that she was pretty sure deafened everyone in the area.

"That's SO MUCH BETTER" he laughed happily, and began tearing through his 10th bowl.

5 bowls and one crying proctor later, Naruto and Hinata left the stand with two free admissions and 500 extra ryo.

"Naruto...are you sure you're okay?! I've never seen anyone eat that much in my life!" Hinata said in worry.

Naruto burped again, somehow louder than his last one. "I feel GREAT. Still kinda hungry in fact, but i'll be okay. How bout we get you something to eat? You are hungry right? No way you're not!" He laughed

On cue, the bluenette's stomach growled like a wolf deprived of food for years. "Um...kinda?" she grinned sheepishly. They decided on cotton candy and funnel cakes. "Hey *munch*, i'm not calling you fat or anything I promise! But does your diet allow for splurges like this?" Naruto asked, his question partially blocked by the funnel cake he was eating, well more so inhaling.

She giggled "Mhmm! See, I *munch* train almost all day 5 days a week, and follow a ridiculously strict paleo diet. So I get 2 days off and 2 days to eat whatever I want she chirped happily. "What about *gulp* your diet Naruto-kun?"

Naruto thought for a second as he took a swig from his coke. "It's kinda the same. One of my trainers is also a nutrionist, so he helps me, give me a bi-monthly rundown of what I need to eat, stay away form, etc. I also apparently have an abnormally high metabolism, so that contributes to me being able to splurge. All in all, it's pretty much exactly the same as you! I train my ass off, eat right, and on weekends I get a break and get to eat whatever I want!" He grinned, taking a bite of cotton candy.

As they walked throughout the festival, playing miscellaneous games, trying different foods, riding a mechanical bull in which Naruto only got 20 seconds, but Hinata got a prize for being the only person at the stand so far to get 2:00, they stumbled upon a crowd that were standing around an awning. Apparently something happend to the musician, and the stage was simply empty, no one to show, no one to come. The couple walked up to a barker that was trying to keep the customers, insisting the musician would only be gone a few more minutes.

"What's the problem man?" Naruto asked, looking at the dispersing crowd with worry.

"The next musician that was slated to show up here bailed, and we don't have anyone to fill the slot yet!" He exasperated. Naruto looked at Hinata and grinned. "What's the genre?"

"Any form of rock really, why do you ask?" The barker inquired curiously.

Naruto's grin got impossibly bigger as he pulled Hinata close to him. "I'm a decent singer, but this beautiful girl right here is one of the best singers i've heard! And I just so happen to know my way around a guitar! Trust me, we'll hold the crowd" Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh thank the gods! I'll start making calls immediately!", and with that, the barker was gone in the blink of an eye.

Hinata was still staring at Naruto. "N-Naruto I can't sing! Why did you tell him that! I'm gonna scare these people away!" Hinata babbled worriedly as she and Naruto walked up onto the small stage. Naruto turned and held her shoulders, then looked deep into her lavender eyes.

"Hinata-chan, you're amazing trust me. If you can fight, you can do this. NOW, what do you wanna sing?" he finished with a smile.

Hinata met the sapphire blue eyes of her crush, she felt any resolve or hesitation melt away. If Naruto believed she could do it, she believed it too. "Hm. why don't we start with something happy?" she suggested

"GOT IT!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "Hinata-chan, sit this one out, we'll save you for when they get warmed up, that way they'll definitely stay!" Naruto grinned at her as he tuned the guitar he found.

Naruto pulled up a microphone, and gave a call to everyone. "**What's up everyone?! Having fun at the exhibition? Yes? No? Well me and my gorgeous friend here are gonna try and brighten up your day, so here we go!" **Naruto paused to check a few chords. "**Alright ladies and gentleman, first off i'll be singing Two Princes by Spin Doctors, here it is!"**

**"One, two princes kneel before you  
That what I said now  
Princes, princes who adore you  
Just go ahead now  
One has diamonds in his pockets  
That's some bread, now  
This one said he wants to buy you rockets  
Ain't in his head, now**

**This one he got a princely racket  
That's what I said now  
Got some Big Seal upon his jacket  
Ain't in his head now  
You marry him, your father will condone you  
How 'bout that now  
You marry me, your father will disown you  
He'll eat his hat, now**

**Marry him, or marry me**  
**I'm the one that loves you baby can't you see?**  
**Ain't got no future or family tree**  
**But I know what a prince and lover ought to be**  
**I know what a prince and lover ought be**

**Said if you want to call me baby**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you like to tell me maybe**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you wanted to buy me flowers**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you like to talk for hours**  
**Just go ahead now.**

Naruto even managed to play the guitar solo on his acoustic, which caused quite a few heads to turn. Slowly, more people began showing up to view the dashing blonde teenager and the lavender-eyed beauty with him.

**Said one, two princes kneel before you**  
**That what I said now**  
**Princes, princes who adore you**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**One has diamonds in his pockets**  
**That's some bread, now**  
**This one said he wants to buy you rockets**  
**Ain't in his head, now**

**Marry him, marry me**  
**I'm the one that loved you baby can't you see?**  
**Ain't got no future or family tree**  
**But I know what a prince and lover ought to be**  
**I know what a prince and lover ought be**

**Said if you want to call me baby**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you like to tell me maybe**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you wanted to buy me flowers**  
**Just go ahead now**  
**And if you like to talk for hours**  
**Just go ahead nowwww!"**

Naruto grinned to the applauding crowd, and gave a slight bow before turning to Hinata. "Alright Hinata-chan, whaddya wanna sing?". Hinata could only stare and smile dreamily at what she deemed the perfect man before her. "Hinata-chan?" Naruto looked at her questioningly and snapped his fingers.

Hinata shook her head, coaxed out of her daze. "Um, do you know any songs by The Dirty Heads?" she asked timidly.

"Lay me down?" He cocked his head with a smile.

"Y-Yeah! But how did you know?" She giggled

"Just had a hunch" he said with a laugh. "Okay, I'll take the first verse, you'll do the rest, okie-doke?" He grinned.

"What? I can't sing all of that!" Hinata almost yelled.

"Alright! It's settled then!" Naruto brought the mic closer again and began speaking. "**Alright everyone, next song we're gonna sing is called Lay Me Down by The Dirty Heads, thank you!"**

Naruto began the intro, and Hinata nervously scooted closer to a microphone. 'Can't get cold feet now' she thought with a grimace

**Well this is how it starts Two lovers in the dark**  
**On the run, from the one That they called Sheriff Spark**  
**Six guns by their side and bullets around their waist**  
**Two shots to the sky**  
**Signal sound for the chase**  
**The safe was nearly empty and They were nearly free**  
**But were seen by the Good eye of the mean Billy Green**  
**And he screamed at the top of his lungs They're on the run**  
**It's the two outsiders Grab your horses and your guns**

Naruto gave the lavender eyed beauty her cue. With a deep breath she began the chorus.

**I said I wish that**  
**We could stay here,**  
**But I fear our time has come**  
**We could ride out in the darkness**  
**Chasing the rising sun**  
**We gotta pack our bags this instant,**  
**We're heading south-bound to the next town**  
**And if we all arrive there so safely,**  
**Baby you can**

**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**

Naruto smiled at her, encouraging her to continue

**Well it's the story of the two**  
**Always on the move.**  
**They got nothing left to lose**  
**'Cept their guns and their wounds**  
**Now they're crossing borders**  
**Sheriffs posse on their tail**  
**They'd rather die together**  
**Than be stuck up in a cell.**  
**They drank up all the whiskey and They partied every night**  
**Like it could be the last The bounty said shoot on sight.**  
**So they chased the endless summer Though it came with the pride.**  
**They wouldn't stop running till They found a paradise.**  
**But the sheriff finally found them with his eyes seeing red.**  
**So the lovers had to shoot him down and fill him full of lead**  
**They were finally free To find a place to lay their head**  
**And when they finally did he looked at her and then he said.**

**I said I think that we can stay here,**  
**Cause I feel our time has come.**  
**And we can walk down to the ocean,**  
**And sit with the rising sun.**  
**So unpack your bags this instant,**  
**No more running from town to town**  
**And now that we've arrived so safely,**  
**Baby you can**

**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**

**Well you're my green-eyed girl And I've been running around with you.**  
**It's the afternoon and we got nothing left to do.**  
**So wipe the dirt off, or Take your shirt off,**  
**And we should go hit the cantina, We got work off.**  
**I said it's hot outside Let me go swimming in your eyes.**  
**We've been running for a while**  
**Why don't you lay down and make smile.**  
**I could never ask for nothing better than this.**  
**It's just tequila and the beach, that's why its salty when we kiss.**

**I said I think that we can stay here,**  
**Cause I feel our time has come.**  
**And we can walk down to the ocean,**  
**And sit with the rising sun.**  
**So unpack your bags this instant,**  
**No more running from town to town**  
**And now that we've arrived so safely,**  
**Baby you can**

**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down...**  
**Lay me down... Lay me down...**

Naruto finished the song with the acoustic outro, and the crowd was in an uproar. Neither of the couple had really noticed how the size of the crowd had increased dramatically with the start of their second song. The barker came up behind Naruto and whispered something in his ear, with a small smile, he nodded. "**Alright ladies and gentleman, the slated bands are ready for the stage now, so we'll hand it over to them, thanks for taking the time to hear us and have a good day!" **Naruto said. Grabbing Hinata's hand, they both bowed and smiled to the audience, who were cheering madly. With their goodbyes said the couple exited the stage and went back to enjoying the festival.

"Hinata-chan you were so AWESOME!" Naruto yelled, causing a light blush to creep across Hinata's features.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, it was fun" she said, smiling up at the blonde brawler.

"let's get back to enjoying the exhibition, shall we?" he laughed, picking her up onto his shoulders. She giggled in return.

The couple walked around, enjoying the festival, eating various foods, playing a few games, seeing different bands, and even signing a few autographs throughout the rest of the day. Naruto checked his phone, 12:34. The festival was still going strong, but he was fairly tired, and he could tell Hinata was ready to drop. At around 10:00 she had taken to walking with him, latched to his arm.

"You ready to go Hinata-chan?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded as she nuzzled into Naruto's arm further. He hefted her onto his back and began walking back to his car.

When they reached the car, Hinata had fallen asleep, her head on Naruto's shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he unlocked the car. He stretched the passenger seat out as far as he could, and laid Hinata down inside, tucking her in with his jacket for good measure. He got in, cranked the ignition, and began the short drive home.

As he pulled into his driveway, he decided it would be best if they both just crashed at his house. Hinata had forgotten her keys at home anyway. He unlocked the door and went back to the car. He couldn't help but smile at the sleeping Hinata in his arms. 'I couldn't have asked for a prettier girl' he thought as he gently laid her down on his futon. Sighing, he grabbed a few blankets and a pillow out of his closet, and began making himself a palet on the floor.

He froze when he saw Hinata begin to stir. "Naruto? Where are we" she mumbled tiredly.

He chuckled nervously. "We're at my house, you didn't have your keys, and I just figured it'd be easier if we just spent the night here."

She looked at him quizically. "Why are you on the floor?" she asked.

"Well I gave you my bed, and there aren't any others in the house, do I just made a palet on the floor!" he smiled.

"Well...why don't you sleep with me?" she asked timidly, relieved that the darkness of the house covered the blush that encompassed her entire face.

"I, uh, I mean, er, I didn't want you to think that, um, ya know, that I'd try and, um, do anything" He stammered nervously.

'He's even a gentleman' Hinata smiled to herself. She got up out of the bed and walked over to Naruto.

Naruto could feel his body temperature skyrocket as she moved towards him. "Um, Hinata-chan, what are you do-" He was interrupted mid-sentence as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Naruto quickly recovered from his shock, and slithered his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, deepening and throwing as much passion into their first kiss as he could. Hinata felt electricity throughout her entire body when she felt Naruto's reaction. As they broke the kiss, they just stood there in eachother's arms. Nothing mattered in the world but them, they both felt that they could just stand there for eternity. Hinata looked up at the deep blue eyes that seemed to penetrate the darkness, and smiled.

"Let's go to bed Naruto-kun" She said as she led him back to the futon.

Naruto laid down and pulled Hinata close to him, kissing her once more.

"Good night Hina-chan" He whispered to her, feeling the tendrils of sleep grasping him.

"Night Naruto-kun" she mumbled, nuzzling his chest as she drifted off to sleep


	5. Alone no more

**Hey everyone, ****Sorry about the wait********, school kinda took hold again. I was planning on making this chapter longer, but I felt it'd be good to cut it here rather than cram what I have planned for next chapter with this one as well.**

******As stated before, I do not own Naruto, nor any characters or organizations mentioned in this story.**

******Anyway, here it is guys, Path of a Champion**

Naruto awoke to the intoxicating smell of lavender and cinnamon rolls. Opening his eyes, he was shocked when he saw Hinata's gorgeous sleeping face less than an inch from his face. Smiling, he remembered the date they had the previous day, and their first kiss they had shared last night. He pulled her even closer, feeling her wrap her arms around him, nuzzling his chest. He sighed in happiness as he savored the moment. Very gently, he reached over and checked his clock. 11:00. 11:00 on a Sunday morning with Hinata. _'Life can't be better_' he thought dreamily. Just then he heard a small yawn that literally HAD to have been the cutest thing he had ever heard. He looked down, meeting her opal-eyed gaze, and they kissed.

"Morning Hina-chan" he whispered, smiling.

"Good morning Naruto-kun" she mumbled, a small smile on her face. With another yawn, she snuggled closer to Naruto. "What time is it?" She asked tiredly.

"Only 11:00, why?" He asked, clearing a few stray strands of purple hair from her face. He was suddenly stopped short as she bolted upright with a look of horror on her face.

"WHAT?!" She screeched. Naruto was quick to calm her however.

"Hey, hey, relax, it's Sunday, no training today. Remember the festival yesterday?" He put his arm around her, cooing softly.

Hinata visibly relaxed and returned Naruto's hug.

"Don't scare me like that Naruto-kun!" she pouted, laying back down.

He chuckled, "My bad, I won't do it again, promise." Naruto got up, much to Hinata's disappointment, and stretched. He walked over and cut on the t.v, checking the weather. Hinata shifted and faced him. She was about to ask him what it was when he flopped down in the bed with her. "It's gonna storm today, looks like we're stuck inside" He smiled softly, bringing her in closer.

"Perfect" she smiled, snuggling closer to him. She looked up at him, gazing at his dark blue eyes, and pulled his head down as she kissed him. She shuddered as his arms snaked around her, pulling her in. Both relished in the lack of space between them, feeling like they could simply melt into one-another. Naruto broke the kiss and began nuzzling her neck. Hinata let out small gasps as Naruto planted butterfly kisses and love bites down her neck. Naruto slowed his pace until he stopped, laying his head on Hinata's breasts.

"N-Narutooo?" Hinata subconsciously whined as he stopped.

"Hm?" he responded sleepily as he was lulled to sleep by the rising and falling of Hinata's...well endowed...bosom.

"Why'd you stop?" she pouted as she ran her fingers through his spiky blonde hair.

"We gotta take things slow Hina-chan. Don't wanna rush into something like that, do you?" He mumbled. He moved his head up to where he lay on her shoulder, and began to doze off. "let's go back to sleep for a little while, k?" he muttered with a smile.

"Sounds fine to me." Hinata said with a yawn, before falling back asleep against Naruto.

Naruto awoke a couple hours later to thunder shaking his house. Yawning, he eased his way out of Hinata's vice-like arms, and walked into the kitchen. "Ramen, ramen, ramen, ramennnnn...Here!" He said gleefully as he found a pack of instant ramen. Thunder cracked loudly, again shaking the house. "How in the hell does she sleep through all of this?" he wondered aloud. He leaned against the counter, deep in thought as he began thinking of his upcoming match with Kiba. It was finally time to settle the score. He still couldn't believe he had failed to defeat the loudmouth bastard of a martial artist that was Kiba Inuzuka. He was only broken out of his thoughts as he noticed his ramen had cooked and cooled already. Slurping thoughtfully, he went back to his thoughts.

*FLASHBACK*

Naruto and Kiba eyed each other warily, waiting for one-another to make the next move. It was the start of the third round already, and each fighter had dominated one round. This was going to be the deciding round, and so far their second fight had shaped up similar to the first. Both fighters we're almost neutralizing one another in every aspect of the fight. Naruto's wrestling and jiu-jitsu was matched by Kiba's master-ranked sambo. 'Where the fuck did he get a sambo teacher anyway?!' Naruto wondered angrily to himself. Kiba's capoeira and tae kwon do gave him phenomenal, random, yet still accurate striking. What would normally be an outrageous advantage, barely managed to bring him to a stalemate with Naruto. Naruto was known for his unorthodox, yet very crisp striking. He was able to mix his muay thai and boxing together in a fashion nothing sort of devastating.

Both fighters figured the time for waiting was at an end, and decided to engage. Kiba crouched and began spinning, delivering a chain of kicks to Naruto's legs and midsection. Naruto inwardly smirked when he felt his back hit the cage. The blonde brawler waited for Kiba to come up from his kicks, and when he did, he landed a snap front kick to kiba's face, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Kiba shook it off quickly, and rushed forward to meet the advancing Naruto. Naruto threw a super-man punch, springing off of the cage for added momentum, hitting Kiba squarely in the jaw. Kiba staggered backwards, severely rocked by the blow. As Naruto rushed forward, Kiba clipped Naruto with a left hand, then clinched with him. As Naruto began kneeing Kiba's legs and midsection, in what fluid motion, Kiba slipped behind him and suplexed him to the mat. The sound of Naruto crashing to the mat resonated throughout the stadium. Naruto gasped in pain as he rolled onto his hands and knees and attempted to get up.

Kiba immediately started kneeing his midsection, but was only able to land a few before Naruto caught his leg and pulled him to the mat. Naruto immediately began to land hammerfists on Kiba's exposed face. Kiba stunned Naruto with an up-thrown elbow, then pulled him into a guillotine choke, squeezing Naruto's neck for all it was worth. Naruto did his best to remain calm and use what little oxygen he had left to good use. Freeing himself form Kiba's guard, he stood up, with Kiba still holding the choke, and slammed him back to the mat, successfully escaping. Kiba let out a grunt of pain as he was smashed into the mat. Naruto began raining down blows onto the stunned Kiba. Kiba covered his face as he pulled his legs in between Naruto and his guard. With a sudden jolt Naruto was thrown from Kiba, who he noticed was standing up._ 'Damnit, he kicked me off'_ he angrily thought to himself.

Throwing caution to the wind, both fighters met one another in the center of the cage an began throwing blows with wild abandon. Naruto slammed an upper cut into Kiba's jaw, but recieved an elbow to his already cut forehead. Kiba began teeing off, landing powerful hooks to the blonde brawler's head, but gasped in pain as Naruto landed a crushing knee to his solar plexus, causing him to stagger back. Naruto saw his opportunity for the finish, and rushed in. Gritting his teeth, Kiba rushed to meet Naruto. Kiba landed a heavy kick to Naruto's side, followed by a double punch combo. Naruto managed to block the punches successfully, but grimaced when he heard a small crack where Kiba's kick landed. Both fighters were beginning to engage once more, but were stopped short by the bell. Both walked to their corners, revamping the crowd that they had won. Each fighter and their corner met with the referee and announcer in the middle.

**"Ladies and gentleman, after 3 rounds, we go to the Judges for a decision on this match. The results for this match are 50-49 Inuzuka," **Kiba raised his fist with a grin, motioning for more applause from the crowd. **"50-49 Uzumaki," **Naruto raised his fist and grinned. **"and 45-45, declaring this match a draw!" ** Both combatants shook hands, Naruto, despite all of Kiba's trash talk, bowed. Just as he was about to turn away, Kiba held fast to his arm and pulled him close.

"Next time we settle this for good. A fucking orphaned,lonely-ass, no-name prick like yourself doesn't even deserve to be in this sport, much less fight the likes of me." Kiba whispered menacingly into Naruto's ear. Naruto held his gaze and as he stepped back. "We'll see about that next time mutt" Naruto said.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Naruto-kun? You okay?" Hinata asked as she sat up in bed.

Naruto smiled. "I'm fine Hina-chan, just thinking about a few things" he said as he tossed his ramen cup in the trashcan. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees with his head hanging.

"Thinking 'bout what?" She mumbled as she hugged him from behind, nuzzling his shoulder. She was slightly unnerved at his sudden personality change, and knew it had to be something really worth it. She frowned when she heard Naruto emit a heavy sigh.

"The fight coming up with Kiba. It's a matter of days before it's press confirmed. Then all it'll be is interviews with him saying how i'm 'trash' or 'a wannabe orphaned disgrace' and how I shouldn't be in the sport, stuff like that" he said. Hinata picked up on the trace of sadness in his voice.

"Hey, look at me" She spoke softly. Naruto leaned back until his head was in Hinata's lap. She ran her fingers through his spiky, wildly hair, then looked down on him, her long lavender hair making a curtain around them. "You may not have any parents, and you may have been alone except for your trainers, but it's different now. You're not alone anymore, and you don't have to face this stupid shit alone anymore, even it's just Inuzuka spouting whatever his idiot brain can grasp." she smiled warmly as she traced Naruto's tan, whiskered cheeks. Naruto held her hands against his face, relishing in their intoxicating combination of coolness and softness. He smiled, allowing a few stray tears to leak out of his ocean blue eyes.

"Thank you so much" He whispered. Hinata smiled back to him gently. Naruto sat up and turned around, pulling Hinata close to him. He laid back, with her snuggled against him. He felt he could just lay there forever with the lavender-haired angel that he was quickly falling for. He couldn't help but grin at how she'd thrown him off his feet in a matter of a couple days. His thoughts of Hinata followed him as he dozed off once more.

* * *

Naruto awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. desperately stretching from the bed, he tried to reach it on the floor across form him, only to tumble onto the floor. Cursing his luck, he grabbed the phone and answered. "Yo!" He called, rubbing his eyes.

"Oi, Naruto? It's Killer Bee Baby!" Killer Bee roared excitedly. Naruto grimaced as he held the phone away form his ear.

"Is it really necessary for you to yell like that?" Naruto barked in return.

"It sure as shit it is when you're finalized for a main event! You got the fight bro, April 29th. 12:00. 10,000 fans. Scouted. What more could ya want?"

Naruto grinned. "Thanks K.B sensei. I can't thank you enough for this opportunity, I really can't." Naruto spoke shakily.

"Put on a good show, kick Kiba's ass into the grass, and that'll be a fine thank you my bro" Killer Bee chanted. Naruto heard Killer Bee sigh heavily over the phone. "Only thing is, I can't train either of you, it's a trainer's policy. You're still welcome to the gym of course, but you can't train with me." Killer Bee said sadly.

Naruto frowned slightly. "It's okay sensei, I gotcha! I'll whip Kiba's ass, then we can train like always" Naruto said happily, earning a chuckle from Killer Bee.

"I'll hold you to it Naruto. But seriously, along with the no training deal, I can't go giving you info on Kiba either. So this is the last stat-related talk we can have. Naruto...be careful. I know capoeira seems like an underestimated sport, but you need to overestimate it. He didn't use it in his first fight with you, and only scratched the surface with it in you guys' second fight. Naruto he's gotten really good with it, you've gotta keep that in mind, okay?" Killer Bee spoke seriously.

"Of course K.B sensei, i'll make sure to be careful" Naruto returned just as serious.

"Alrighty my brotha, catcha on the flip-side my man!" Killer Bee said.

"Later K.B sensei" Naruto said warmly. Hanging up, he couldn't help but smile.

This was it. This is the chance he'd been waiting the last 2 years for, and he'd be damned if he was going to mess up now. He mentally sighed as he thought of the training schedule he was going to have to go through. He'd have little, if any, time to see Hinata. His heart sank as he thought about training coming between them, and spending less time with her. 'I doubt she'll wanna stay with me then.' he thought glumly. "Better tell her now, go ahead and cut this short" He mumbled sadly.

He checked the time. 6:00. "Holy hell" he muttered. He'd literally spent the whole day lounging with Hinata. He climbed into the bed and gently pressed his lips to hers, and inwardly smiled when he saw her stir. Her opal eyes fluttered open, widening slightly at the sight of her blonde haired boyfriend so close to her.

"Hey you" he said softly, brushing a stray lock of lavender out of her face.

"Hi you" she smiled, intertwining her fingers with Naruto. She looked at him puzzled when he sighed and sat up.

"What is it?" She asked quizically as she squeezed his hand. He looked at her and smiled

"I got the fight. It was finalized this afternoon. It's a scouted fight, the 29th." he said.

"That's great! Oh my god that's amazing! Who're the scouts?!" She squealed excitedly. He smiled a bit brighter at her enthusiasm and interest.

"PRIDE, K-1, I think Pancrase, maybe a few more, i'm not too sure. But the thing is, i'm gonna have to train in overdrive if I wanna be prepared. Unfortunately, it's pretty much going to mean training, coming home, going to sleep, then waking up and doing it all over again. This also means i'll have to work weekends" His smile faded and she heard him gulp. "It'll be like this most of the time. If I make it to PRIDE or some other big organization, i'll have to re-work my training to be more intensive, so my schedule will probably end up like this more often. I...I understand if this is too much for us to keep seeing each other." she brought her hand to her mouth as she saw his eyes go watery with tears. He was shocked when she brought it down to reveal her smiling.

"Naruto-kun, what're you talking about? I'm a fighter too! It's training, I completely understand, cause it happens to me all the time! Don't think for a second that I'd leave you for pursuing your career. Remember what I said, i'm with you now. We'll find ways around it, don't worry." She smiled brightly, squeezing his hand once more.

Once more, Naruto was simply flabbergasted that she didn't even care. He opened his mouth to say something, but was utterly speechless. He simply grabbed her and fell back down to the bed. She giggled as she fell back with him. He came up grinning, but quickly frowned when he remembered what time it was.

"I guess you should be getting home, with training and everything tommorow?" Naruto asked while putting on a fake pout. Hinata giggled.

"I guess I could...Oooorrrr I could go home and grab a few things, then come back here?" She suggested with a grin. Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"I like that idea better" he said with a smile "Lemme grab my keys and we'll head out, ok?" He called as he went to get his shoes and keys. The couple were out the door and back at Naruto's in less than 30 minutes.

* * *

"I STILL know of no female that brings THAT MUCH stuff for a overnight stay!" Naruto said with a guffaw as he carried Hinata's gear into the house.

"Hey shut up! It's not even that much stuff! IT's just a change of clothes, training gear for tomorrow and a few odds and ends..." She laughed as she mumbled, blushing. Naruto just laughed even more.

"Oh totally, 'A few odds and ends'. Since when is a backpack full of crap 'A few odds and ends'?" He laughed even harder. He took her stuff into the room and organized the massive load she had brought for just one night. "Wanna go grab something to eat?" Naruto asked.

"Nah, let's just have some ramen here or something. What? Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly as she saw her boyfriend freeze and begin to tear up.

"OH GOD I'VE FINALLY FOUND MY SOULMATE!" Naruto screamed as he picked Hinata up and crushed her in a bear hug.

"Naru...to...I can't...breathe!" Hinata squeaked.

"Oh! Um, sorry, eheh" Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "I never thought I'd hear those words, much less from my beautiful girlfriend" Naruto chuckled as he went into the kitchen. "What kind you want? And how many bowls?" He asked as he began rummaging through the pantry for ramen.

"Hmmm, do you have any miso ramen?" She asked as she channel surfed his t.v

"Yeah! How many bowls do ya want?" he called as he began grabbing all the miso ramen in sight.

"Umm, how much do you have?" She asked timidly

Naruto looked at her puzzled, but answered nonetheless. "Enough for probably 20 bowls or so, why though?" Naruto struggled to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Well, I'm...kinda hungry...Could I have maybe...10 bowls?" Her voice was fairly quiet by now, and she was blushing madly, pressing her fingers together. Her eyes widened when she heard what sounded like an avalanche. She quickly ran into the kitchen to find Naruto literally buried under a pile of miso ramen.

"N-Naruto?" she asked fearfully. She didn't have time to scream as he flew from underneath the pile of ramen and captured her in a heated kiss. After what seemed like an eternity, he broke the kiss, and pressed his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes.

"You're awesome Hina-chan" He said with a smile.

Hinata blushed and smiled. "Guys have always been disgusted by my appetite, why do you find it so cool?" She asked.

Naruto laughed as he hugged her and spun her around. "It's AWESOME! I've never found anyone who likes ramen, much less can match my appetite!" He roared. He flashed her his trademark grin, causing her to smile in return.

* * *

"I still can't believe you ate ALL of it! I've never met anyone who can eat as much as me! Except maybe Choji...but still! And a girl no less!" He laughed as he washed the dishes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know" she giggled. "Can I go ahead and take a shower?" She asked as she headed over to the other room.

"Sure thing." he called out to her. Resisting the urge to follow her, he grabbed his laptop and decided to look at one of Kiba's fights before he went to sleep. As he browsed the web, he frowned as he saw an interview with Kiba from yesterday. He decided to see what it was about.

*VIDEO*

"Hello everyone, i'm Ariel Helwani, here with the up and coming Kiba Inuzuka. So Kiba, no offense obviously, but you've never really had media coverage in a manner like this, care to tell us why you're here for the interview?" Helwani inquired. Naruto grimaced as he heard Kiba's loud, brash voice.

"Well I think you know why dude! I mean, i'm the greatest in my division! I just havem't been given the opportunities like these other fighters, but that's all gonna change soon. I'm supposed to headline an event in front of some scouts for PRIDE, K-1, and some other organizations. All i've gotta do is trash Uzumaki the 29th and i'll get my chance!" Kiba barked with a loud laugh.

"Do you think you should be underestimating Naruto Uzumaki? He's been the only one you haven't defeated. You two have waged wars in which both have ended up in a draw. Are you looking to put an end to the trilogy April 29th? " Helwani asked.

"Damn right I am! Uzumaki is a piece of s*** and shouldn't even be fighting. Both those fights were fixed, I know I beat him, an the fans know too! AS for the whole underestimating him thing, anyone who thinks of him as a fighter at all is OVER-estimating him. He doesn't deserve to be in this sport, he's a disgrace!" Kiba said rather flatly. Naruto ground his teeth in frustration.

"I...see" Ariel laughed nervously. "So any other things you would like to mention before we go?" He asked.

"I know you're gonna watch this Naruto. Just letting you know, better be ready to that canvas, cause your ass is going straight to it!" Kiba grinned at the camera.

"Alright! well, er, I guess that's it for today. I'm Ariel Helwani, here with Kiba Inuzuka, goodbye everyone!". With that, the video ended. Naruto sighed heavily. Hearing the shower turn off, he looked up to see Hinata's rather voluptuous figure walk into the opposing room, restrained in a tanktop and a pair of boxers. He covered his nose as he walked to the shower.

As he let the warm water cascade down his body, he thought about how drastically things changed in just the past few days. He'd asked out the girl he'd been fawning over for god knows how long, they'd gone on a rather fun date, spent the rest of the weekend together, and were about to go back to training. Not only this, but his fight with Kiba had been made official. He sighed as he thought of all the media attention that was going to surround the fight. He'd always hated the media. He turned off the shower and changed.

Naruto walked into the living room to see Hinata already snoring away. He bit his lip to avoid laughing. After setting his alarm, he climbed into the bed next to her, and felt her stir.

"Naru...kun" she mumbled in her sleep before snuggling close to him. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. He smiled as he felt sleep grasping him, taking him away to the intoxicating smell of lavender and cinnamon rolls...

**Ariel Helwani-He's one of the most famous journalists in mixed martial arts, all there is to say really!**

**As always, feedback, good, bad, and ugly is always appreciated, so come on guys, keep those reviews coming in!**

**Special thanks goes out to the unamed reviewer who gave me the compliments on my story, I dunno who you are, but you're alright in my book my friend :D.**

**LAST BUT NOT LEAST-I'm putting up a Poll for Naruto's next opponent, so go ahead and start voting! I think i'll close it down in a week or two, depending on how I write out the chapters after Naruto and Kiba's fight.**

**Take it easy everyone!**


	6. It's a fight: Naruto vs Kiba

Hey** guys sorry about the late update once again! As always, it's been school :(. Fortunately we're almost on break for summer, so the updates should be weekly, if not every couple of days! I do not own Naruto, nor any organizations or fighters I mention in this story.**

**Thanks to basketballgirl1185 for being an awesome supporting fan, and really big thanks to JOHNxgambit for Naruto's nickname and suggestions on his future fights! You guys rock!**

**As always, feedback, good, bad, or ugly is greatly appreciated!**

**Anyways, it's been a while coming, but here it is! Path of a Champion**

Naruto stared on emotionless at the monitor as one of his training partners Konohamaru knocked out another kid named Udon with a big head kick in the opening amateur bout for the card. He was broken out of his thought when Kakashi called his name.

"Naruto, come on buddy, let's get warmed up" Kakashi said solemnly. Naruto nodded as he walked over and let Kakashi begin wrapping his hands. He looked around at his team, seeing their despondent looks. Even almost a month later, he couldn't believe what Kiba had done.

*FLASHBACK*

"How...how is he doc?" Naruto whispered. The doctor looked up from his watch as he checked Killer Bee's pulse.

"He's stabilized for now, but he's not out of the woods yet. He's suffered a shattered femur, he's broken 7 ribs, and he's got a skull fracture along with a concussion. We'll have to keep him here in intensive care for quite a while. I won't lie to you...it's bad. He may not live, he's floating in limbo right now, and we've done all we can. We'll just have to monitor him and see if he makes it. I'm sorry...I know he's important to you all. I'll be just down the hall, come notify me if you need anything." the doctor gave a curt nod to everyone and left the room

Naruto looked back onto Killer Bee silently, squeezing who he thought of as his trainer and one of his father figures hand. Naruto silently sobbed as he laid on Killer Bee's bedside.

"Naruto...We'll be right outside if you ne- Jiraiya was cut short as Killer Bee groaned. His eyes opened slowly, and he looked at everyone in the room before letting his gaze rest on Naruto.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he managed a weak smile. Everyone quickly moved around his bed.

"I'll go get a doctor!" Kakashi said as he rushed for the door.

"w-wait" Killer Bee called weakly. Kakashi stopped and whirled around, swiftly stepping back to the bedside.

"Why? we've gotta tell the doctors you're awake!" Kakashi exclaimed. Killer Bee coughed before he began to speak, wincing in pain.

"I...I dunno if i'll make it guys. Just please listen. I *cough*, I love you all like family, heh, even if i've only known some of you for a little while," He winked at Hinata. She smiled weakly in return. "If I don't make it through tonight, I just want you all to know a few things. Kakashi and Jiraiya, my brothers! We've had some good times, and i'll always cherish them. Tell my brother where I am, *cough* and if he wants to drop by for a visit, it'd be nice to *cough* chat."

"Y-Yeah, we have had a good time." Kakashi choked out.

"I'll...I'll notify your brother as s-soon as I can." Jiraiya stammered.

"K.B sensei stop, we've gotta get you a doctor, we've gotta tell them you're up!" Naruto panicked, but stopped when he felt Killer Bee squeeze his hand

"No...please...listen *cough* first. Naruto, my boy, If I don't make it...just...don't give up...you'll be the best one day, I know it. You've got the fire that can't be extinguished, I can see it *cough*, and I know everyone else can too. Fight the good fight brother."

Naruto had began sobbing at this point, clutching Killer Bee's hand. Kakashi had a few stray tears rolling down his one-eyed face, and even Jiraiya and Hinata were shedding tears by now.

"Oi Hinata-chan, c'mere *cough* for a sec will ya?" Killer Bee smiled weakly.

"H-hai Killer Bee-san, w-what is it?" Hinata sniffled.

"Take care of The blonde knuckle head for me, will ya? He's *cough* he's a good kid, he'll do right for you, so please do right for him will you?"

"I-I will, I promise" she bowed deeply, her tears hitting the floor.

"I'm just gonna *cough* take a nap, i'll talk to you guys when I *cough* wake up, okie doke? And Naruto?"

Naruto looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Y-yeah K.B sensei?" He sobbed.

"Don't back out, go kick Kiba's ass for me." Killer Bee then dozed off, a ghost of a smile across his face.

"y-you...y-you got i-it s-sensei" Naruto cried louder

All the could be heard was Naruto's sobs accompanied by the beep of Killer Bee's heart monitor. The group stood in silence, observing Naruto crying by his sensei's bedside.

Kakashi and Jiraiya both put their hands on Naruto's shoulders and squeezed, only for him to not respond. They both left, leaving Hinata with a distraught Naruto and unconscious Killer Bee. She walked over and put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, and felt her heart break as he looked up at her, tears streaming from his sapphire eyes and cascading down his tan, whiskered face. She pulled up a chair next to him, and embraced him wholeheartedly as he dove into her arms and cried.

"H-Hina-chan, I'm scared" he half-sobbed half-whimpered. She held him close to her as she stroked his blonde spiky hair.

"Shhh, we all are. It's going to be okay Naruto-kun, I promise." Hinata said soothingly. He pressed his face into her neck, his entire body racked by his tears.

"W-w-what if he d-doesn't wake up? I don't wanna lose him" Naruto cried, his body shaking. Hinata pulled his face away, and held it in her hands.

"He will wake up, you've just gotta have faith in him, he's strong. Don't give up on Killer Bee, cause you know he wouldn't give up on you." She spoke determinedly yet gently. Naruto laid his head on her shoulder once more, and sniffled lightly.

"Y-yeah. I guess you're r-right..." he trailed off quietly. He began to sob quietly against Hinata, shaking both of them. Hinata just rocked him back and forth gently, shushing him to sleep. She laid him down across the chairs his head in her lap, and fell asleep along with him.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Come on! 1-2-3! Good! Again! 1-2-3! Good! Last time! 1-2-3! Alright Naruto, break for now, good job, you're gonna do good tonight." Kakashi looked at him, giving him a solemn one-eyed smile.

Naruto simply nodded and went and sat back down in front of the t.v. He looked on as the co-main event ended with a submission by Shino Aburame against Zaku Abumi.

Jiraiya sighed heavily as he stood up. He walked over to Naruto and put a hand on Naruto's shouler. "Hey pal...come on, you've got a fight to win." Jiraiya spoke softly. Naruto stood up and nodded, walking to the gate with his team in tow.

Naruto stood at the gate, listening to the roaring crowd, and he clenched his jaw as he thought of fighting Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka. The loudmouth. The king of trash talk. The one who put Killer Bee in the hospital.

*FLASHBACK-THREE DAYS SINCE HOSPITALIZATION*

"Naruto, someone's here to see you" Kakashi spoke with his head in the doorway." Naruto looked at him sadly and nodded. He was slightly taken aback when he saw who entered.

"M-Mr. Hiruzen?" Naruto asked weakly.

Hiruzen was the chief of police for the city of Konoha, and he and Naruto had quite the history together. When he was younger, Naruto was a rather...troublesome child. He would play pranks, steal, etc. It was only due to the fact that Hiruzen felt for the kid, thus, he turned the boy to a few martial arts trainers, and well, the rest is history they say.

Hiruzen sighed heavily. "Hello Naruto, how are you doing?" Naruto sniffed as he turned back to Killer Bee's bedside

"Could be better" he mumbled. Hiruzen felt his old heart grow heavy, wondering how he was going to present the evidence to Naruto without him snapping.

"Well, we...we found the person responsible for the wreck." Hiruzen said solemnly. Naruto's head spun around so fast he could have sworn it snapped

"You did?! Who?! WHO WAS IT?!" Naruto yelled, on his feet. Hiruzen swallowed hard, but he knew Naruto needed to know the truth.

"It...it was a man hired by...Kiba's sister. They wanted to sabotage your chances of winning against Kiba, and they figured what better way than to incapacitate a coach. His...his sister did it, that way no evidence could be traced to Kiba and he could still fight." hiruzen said solemnly

Naruto stared back at him in utter disbelief. "Thanks for the info, i've gotta go." Naruto brushed Hiruzen off as he tried to stop him.

"I'm not gonna cause any trouble." Naruto said flatly, his voice void of any emotion.

"I trust you Naruto." was Hiruzen's reply.

Naruto's team immediately stood up and walked after him as he stormed out of the hospital room.

"Naruto! Where are you going?! What happend back there?!" Kakashi, Hinata, and Jiraiya all asked in a jumbled interrogation.

Naruto stopped dead, then turned to them, a stoic look on his face. "Kiba was responsible for what happend. I've got training to do." and with that, he left.

Hinata, Jiraiya, and Kakashi all stood in a stunned silence. Naruto's opponent was responsible for what happend to Killer Bee?

'But Kiba trained there up until he figured out Naruto-' Kakashi felt his heart skip a beat. For Kiba to nearly murder one of Naruto's trainers, much less one who was training him as well as his opponent...it was demented, even for a guy like Kiba.

"Shouldn't we go and help him?" Hinata asked worriedly. Jiraiya simply shook his head.

"The kid wants, and more importantly, needs, to train alone."

"He's resourceful, and he's smart Hinata-chan, don't worry about him" Kakashi added, a mixture of sadness and anger fighting for dominance in his voice.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Alright, here we go!" Jiraiya exclaimed. Naruto and his team began walking, all of them feeling the bass from Naruto's walkout, Eminem's-Till I Collapse, resonate throughout the stadium. Naruto reached his corner and stripped down to his custom black trunks, emblazed with an orange, nine-tailed fox, a mythical demon said to have conquered man thousands of years ago. Getting the clear from the referee check, he stepped into the cage. His normal, flashy, hyped demeanor replaced by a cold, calculated stance, topped with a stone-faced expression.

Kiba entered in almost a completely opposite fashion. Practically sprinting out of his entrance to the tune of Papa Roach's-Last Resort,he highfived the crowd all the way down the row, stopping at the cage for the referee check. It was certainly clear he was entering for malicious purposes. His ripped, dark tan body garbed in grey and red trunks, sporting a large, vicious looking two-headed dog. As he side stepped the entire length of the cage, he came within inches of Naruto, flashing him a sharp-canined smile. As he stepped back around, he masked how much he was unnerved by the blonde headed brawler's expressionless demeanor.

The announcer stepped into the middle of the cage and began calling the fight.

**"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THIS IS THE MAAAAIIIN EVENT OF THE EVENING! THIS BOUT IS SCHEDULED FOR FIVE 5-MINUTE ROUNDS IN OUr MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION!**

The announcer paused, letting the crowd go wild in anticipation.

"**INTRODUCING FIRST, FIGHTING OUT OF THE RED CORNER, THIS MAN IS A MIXED MARTIAL ARTIST, HOLDING A RECORD OF 10 WINS, 0 LOSSES, 2 DRAWS. HE STANDS 5 FEET, 11 INCHES TALL, WEIGHING IN AT 185 POUNDS, 13.2 STONE. LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, GIVE IT UP FOR NARUTOOOOOO "HURRICAAAAAAAAAANEEEEEE" UZUUUUUUMAKIIIIII!**

The crowd went insane at one of their favorite fighter's announcement. Naruto, unlike his usual happy, excited enticement of the crowd, simply stared Kiba to the canvas, shifting from side every few seconds. Kiba's red triangle tattooed face switched to a frown as he attempted to return Naruto's murderous gaze.

**"INTRODUCING NEXT, FIGHTING OUT OF THE BLUE CORNER, THIS MAN IS A CAPOEIRA FIGHTER, HOLDING A RECORD OF 12 WINS, 2 LOSSES, 2 DRAWS. HE STANDS 5 FEET, 10 INCHES TALL, WEIGHING IN AT 182 POUNDS, 13 STONE. LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR KIBA "THE BEAST" INUUUUZUKAAAAAA!"**

The crowd roared as Kiba held his hands up with a grin. The referee motioned for both fighters to move to the center for instruction.

"Alright guy, I want a clean fight. You both know the rules, protect yourselves at all times, listen to my instruction at all times. If there's no further questions, touch gloves, and let's get this show on the road!" he bellowed.

Both fighters touched gloves, Kiba smirking, Naruto remaining emotionless.

"Oh yeah! How's 'K.B sensei' doing?" Kiba asked in a mocking tone as he backed to his corner, both to unnerve and provoke a reaction out of his opponent. The effect was instantaneous, Naruto took a step forward to strike at Kiba, but was withheld, although barely, by the referee.

"Come on Naruto! Back to your corner!" he barked. The blonde-headed brawler reluctantly backed to his corner. The referee returned to the center and took his stance.

"Kiba are you ready?!" Kiba grinned like a fiend, and nodded vigorously. "Naruto are you ready?!" Naruto barely nodded. "Alright let's go to war!" He yelled.

**-Round 1-**

By this point, both fighters had reached the mutual understanding to not show any sportsmanship, so glove-touching was completely out of the question. Kiba immediately took his capoeira stance, and advanced towards Naruto. He first threw a heavy leg kick,connected, and spun into a spinning back kick, only to have his foot caught by Naruto. The blonde warrior advanced the hold on Kiba's foot, and locked tight when he had it at mid-shin. As Kiba desperately tried to hop and free himself, Naruto slammed his fist into Kiba's exposed head, causing him to hit the canvas. Kiba immediately got into a guard position, but was shocked when Naruto simply stood up and waited for Kiba to stand up.

"What happend to the ground n' pound hype?!" Kiba barked as he stood up. The only answer he recieved was a cold expression as Naruto waded back in. Kiba threw a flurry of punches, targeting Naruto's midsection and head, but couldn't manage to land any significant damage. He switched to his capoeira stance and began linking kicks into combinations. He only became more frustrated as Naruto evaded all of his strikes without so much as skipping a beat. Kiba threw a spinning low kick and followed it up with a flying knee, missing both. Naruto, who had been calmly waiting for Kiba to slip up, finally received his opportunity. Kiba's follow-up knee had caused him to land with his weight distributed on his back leg, and Naruto threw a crisp, hard jab that sent Kiba reeling backwards.

With that one strike, Naruto's onslaught began. He followed his jab with a left hook, followed by a knee to Kiba's solar plexus, all landing with impeccable accuracy. As Kiba covered his midsection, Naruto swarmed with a combination of elbows and uppercuts to Kiba's head, not giving him a second to rest. The blonde brawler switched his attack to the clinch, delivering punishing knees to Kiba's head, as "The Beast" desperately tried to stave off Naruto's attacks, but wasn't having much luck.

Kiba finally managed to block one of Naruto's strikes, and pushed forward while still locked in the clinch. Naruto switched to under-over hooks, and lateral dropped Kiba straight onto his back, landing on top of him in a modified crucifix position. Before Kiba could fully register that he was on his back, Naruto began raining down elbows on his completely exposed face. Kiba grimaced and grunted in pain as Naruto landed elbow after elbow, but due to his arms being pinned by Naruto's leg's and right arm, he could do absolutely nothing to protect himself. Just before the referee grabbed Naruto to stop the fight, the bell rang. Naruto simply stood up and walked to his corner, still completely expressionless. Kiba woozily rose to his feet, and stumbled to his corner.

**-Naruto's Corner-**

Naruto sat down on the stool as Kakashi gave him small sips of water, while Hinata iced his shoulders.

"I'll be honest, I was gonna suggest you go to the ground due to his striking strength, but your handling yourself really good out there, so just keep doing what you're doing." Kakashi said. Naruto gave him a nod in return.

"Don't be afraid to really throw him around some more! Slam him to the mat more often, I really liked that lateral drop by the way." Jiraiya smirked, adding his two cents. The corners of Naruto's turned up a few degrees, a smile barely visible on features. Hinata took the ice packs off of his leg, and pressed a new one to small welt on the side of his face. Hearing the wood snaps for the next round, she took them off and placed a gloved hand on Naruto's cheek.

Naruto's mask slipped, and he looked at her, a million emotions flashing through his eyes. Hatred. Bloodlust. Pain. Sorrow. Loss. Sadness. Despite the typhoon within his mind, he took on a determined look, and held her face in his hands, and nodded. He stood up, and moved in as the referee signaled.

**-Kiba's Corner-**

Kiba slumped on his stool, trying to regain his bearings. His head trainer and cutman for the fight, Asuma Sarutobi, kneeled down and went to work.

"Get him to the ground and work your submissions, he's clearly got your number on the stand-up for this fight. Stay out of range, don't do anything brash Kiba." Asuma spoke as he smeared petroleum on a cut on Kiba's forehead while he pressed the enswell to another cut below his left eye. Kiba nodded, taking sips of water to remove the blood buildup in his mouth. Feeling slightly rejuvenated, he stood up and shifted as the wood snaps sounded. He eyed Naruto warily. The blonde brawler still looked stone-faced, but he had a fire in his eyes, and he was giving Kiba a look that made him sweat even more than the cold, barren gaze from earlier. When the referee signaled, Kiba made sure to wade in a bit more cautiously.

**-Round 2-**

Naruto moved in and immediately began to put the pressure on Kiba, throwing his combinations crisply. Kiba clinched with Naruto as he threw a jab, and grimaced as Naruto immediately began punishing his midsection with knees. Kiba moved like lighting as he took Naruto down with a shoulder-catch takedown, landing in full mount. Just as he began to reign blows, Naruto caught his arm and pulled him towards him, catching his neck in a guillotine like hold. The blonde brawler held fast, and positioned his leg to stand up, but rolled over, with Kiba on the bottom, and Naruto inside of his guard. Naruto began smashing his elbows into Kiba's face, and jumped straight into side control when "The Beast" tried to cover his face. Naruto worked into a modified crucifix position, exactly like round 1, and began landing elbows on his canined opponent's exposed face. The blonde brawler suddenly stood up, leaving a stunned Kiba on the ground, waiting for an attack.

"Well, you gonna get up?" Naruto asked coldly. Kiba still sat dumbfounded, but quickly pulled off an extension and rushed Naruto, swinging for the fences. Naruto threw a powerful gut shot as a counterattack, causing his opponent to back up, covering his solar plexus. Naruto waded in, and began teeing off, smahing hooks and uppercuts into an already crippled Kiba. As Kiba felt his back hit the fence, Naruto stopped his strikes and shot in, picking Kiba up on his shoulder. He walked back into the center of the cage with his double-leg takedown on his shoulder. "Hurricane" felt he was in a viable position, and slammed Kiba into the mat with all his might. The shockwave from the slam could be heard throughout the whole stadium. Kiba grunted in pain as all the breath was knocked out of his lungs. Panting hard, he tried to cover up as Naruto began raining down hammerfist from Kiba's half guard. The referee suddenly jumped in, covering Kiba as the bell sounded. Naruto simply walked back to his corner and sat down calmly, while Kiba scraped himself off the mat, and moreso limped than walked to his corner

**-Naruto's Corner-**

The blonde brawler kept staring daggers through Kiba as Hinata iced his legs and back, Kakashi giving him water.

"You're doing good pal, no holes yet, just keep up the pressure." Kakashi encouraged as he gave Naruto his mouth piece back.

"Just go ahead and knock him out kid, we all know you're playing with him. Hey, if you finish, you may even get a bonus!" Jiraiya chuckled, but tapered off when Hinata shot him a death glare. "I was just kidding, jeez" he grumbled, but went silent when Hinata looked at him again. Hinata put her hands on her boyfriend's shoulders, snapping him out of his gaze. He looked at her with a hint of puzzlement in his eyes.

"Leave it all in the ring tonight" she whispered in his ear as she pulled him close. Naruto gave her a squeeze before pulling her back in front of him. He looked into her deep lavender eyes and saw everything he needed. Safety. Happiness. Love. As he heard the wood snaps for the next round, he pressed his lips to hers, earning a few snickers from Kakashi and Jiraiya, and stood up, answering the call for the 3rd round.

**-Kiba's Corner-**

"Come on, easy dude, sit" Asuma spoke as he smeared more petroleum on a few newly opened cuts on Kiba's face." Kiba breathed deeply as he tried to figure out how he was going to win the fight. Despite his reputation as a trash talker and dirty guy, he didn't exactly enjoy winning a fight with tricks, but he had to call on his trump card this time.

"You've gotta pull off a submission Kiba, he's killing you out there!" Asuma exclaimed worriedly. Kiba winced as Asuma pressed the enswell against his cheek.

"Yeah...I got it" Kiba grunted. Asuma gave him a reassuring clap on the shoulder as the wood snaps sounded for the next round.

**-Round 3-**

Kiba immediately flashed Naruto a sadistic smile as he moved in to engage.

"It's a shame your precious K.B sens-" Kiba started to loudmouth but was cut short as Naruto superman punched him in the face, sending him straight into the fence. Naruto immediately swarmed him, landing a flurry of shot all over.

"Don't you say a fucking word about sensei you piece of shit." Naruto growled vehemently as he elbowed Kiba's guarded head. Kiba attempted to move forward in the face of "Hurricane"s swarm of strikes. He took no more that 4 steps before Naruto ducked behind him and suplexed him to the canvas. "The Beast" guarded his face as the breath was knocked from him for the second time that night. Naruto was on top of him immediately, pounding away as Kiba desperately tried to cover up and whether the storm of punches and elbows that were crushing him into the canvas. Kiba somehow managed to slip Naruto into his guard, and put up a better defense against the blonde brawler's unrelenting attacks. As Naruto tried to pass into half-guard by covering it with an elbow, Kiba caught his transitiong and held fast to his arm. Thinking quickly, the fanged menace pushed out Naruto's hips and trapped his head inside of his legs, successfully securing Naruto in a hybrid triangle choke/armbar.

"Give it up you worthless piece of trash!" Kiba grunted as he simultaneously squeezed Naruto's neck and cranked his arm, trying to submit the "Hurricane". Naruto remained calm as he ignored the spots beginning to form in his vision and the sound of straining muscles in his arm. As he raised himself over Kiba, he grabbed the arm that was wrapped around his wrist, and in one fluid motion, lifted Kiba off the canvas till he was six feet in the air.

"Fuck you" Naruto choked through gritted teeth.

The entire crowd erupted as Naruto powerbombed "The Beast" into the canvas. Naruto rose and immediately began raining brutal hammerfists to the unconscious Kiba. The referee dived in and pulled Naruto off. Naruto stood up and smiled, raising his hands to the crowd as he walked to his corner. The crowd was completely ecstatic, madly chanting mixtures of "Naruto" "Hurricane" and "Uzumaki". Naruto embraced his team, smiling gently. He couldn't help but let a few tears fall as he held Hinata close to him.

"I'm so proud of you Naruto-kun" she whispered happily. His only response was to squeeze her tighter. He looked up to see the referee motioning for them to come to the center.

**"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, OUR REFEREE HAS CALLED A STOP TO THIS FIGHT AT 3:47 OF THE THIRD ROUND, DECLARING THE WINNER BY KNOCKOOOOOOOOOOUT, NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOO "HURICAAAAAAAAANEEEEE" UZUUUUUUUMAKIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" **The announcer bellowed, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Kiba sulked as Naruto's hand was raised, signifying his victory, and successfully winning the war that had been waged between the two of them.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he sat by Killer Bee's bedside, holding his hand. even if it was the night of his fight, he didn't feel like celebrating, not when someone as close as family couldn't be with him.

"I won sensei, I really won. 3rd round knockout via

a powerbomb. I hope you'd have been happy if you had been there" Naruto whispered, a sad smile on his face. It still seemed so foreign to him, seeing his rapping, sparatic, jovial sensei hooked up to a heart monitor, garbed in bandages and a neck brace.

He laid back in his chair, and was just beginning to nod off when he heard a gravely voice from the bed next to him.

"Hey brotha, did you *cough* win?"

**Just in case you didn't keep track of it, Killer Bee's accident was around 2 days after Naruto started training again. Also, if you want to see the slam that knocked out Kiba, i pretty much made a carbon copy of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's knockout of Ricardo Arona, so look up their fight if you wanna get a better picture of Naruto's KO :D.**

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, cause I had a lot of fun writing it!**

**Oh and remember, the poll for Naruto's next opponent is still up, so get on it everyone! Remember, all feedback is appreciated!**

**Take it easy everyone, see ya soon!**

**-urnextnoob**


	7. Alive! and an 'extra' post-fight bonus

**Hey everyone! I know, I know, excuses excuses, but i've got a better excuse this time! I'm working on another Naruto fanfic as we speak, so if you guys like this one, fav me as an author so you can check it out! I won't reveal anything quite yet (lol), but I will say that I believe it's written quite a bit better than this one. BUT, just because i'm working on another fanfic does NOT mean i'm going to abandon this one. This story isn't even remotely close to being done, or at where I have it planned to go, so no worries :D.**

**Hopefully you guys don't mind the name change, cause i felt the old one wasn't as fitting as this one.**

**Next up, come on guysss! Vote in the polls :(. It makes me sad that no one's touched the polls yet, but I have faith!**

**Also a special thanks for the recommendation for Naruto's next fight and the tournament idea (Also form JOHNXgambit), you're awesome dude! Thanks to Rose Tiger and basketballgrl1185 for the praise, love you guys! Lastly, but certainly not least, shoutout to JOHNXgambit for the ideas for Naruto's 'kyuubi mode', thanks so much man!**

**Anyway, enough ranting, let's get back to: Path of a Champion**

"K-K-K.B sensei?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"*cough* the one and only" Killer Bee spoke roughly. He tried to move but gasped in pain. Naruto immediately moved to him and held him still.

"Stay still, i'm getting a doctor this time" He said sternly. Killer Bee nodded with a grimace. Naruto flew out of the door, and starting half-calling/half-yelling into the hallway.

"Doctor! Yo! Doc where are you?!" Naruto paced around the hallways looking for a doctor, growing impatient by the second. Relief washed over him as he saw the doctor leave another patient's room and walk towards him. He simply grabbed his arm without words, and led him into Killer Bee's room. The doctor looked slightly shocked when he first saw Killer Bee awake, but shook his head and began running tests. Naruto stood by his side, tapping his foot worriedly.

"Well? How is he doc?" Naruto asked impatiently. The doctor looked at him hesitantly, and pulled him outside. Naruto felt his stomach drop at the thought that the doctor had to talk to him alone about his trainer's condition.

"I've got good news and bad news, which do you prefer?" The doctor asked. Naruto gulped, but thought for a second before he responded.

"Bad...bad news, then good news."

"Alright, bad news is, his recuperation time could take him a long time, possibly up to a year and a half, and even then, we're unsure if he'd be able to carry on as a trainer." The doctor replied. Naruto frowned, but was greatly relieved, for he had been expecting a death talk.

"On the brightside however, his skull fracture is setting very well, and the brain swelling has gone down immensely, so he should be out of the woods for good. I think it's safe to say that he'll live" The doctor smiled. Naruto embraced the man in a bear hug, nearly crushing him.

"M-mr...Uzumaki, you're...crushing...me!" The doctor gasped. Naruto immediately let go, scratching his head and smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, doc, but that' really the best news i've heard since...well...he got put in here" Naruto doctor, after taking a few breaths, clasped Naruto's shoulder.

"Happy I could deliver the news." He said with a smile. "Now tell him we'll be checking on him periodically, start looking at physical therapy, stuff like that. Tell him to not go moving around! If you need me for anything else, just contact the desk next time, okay? he asked with a grin.

"Sure thing doc, i'll catcha later!" he said as he went back into Killer Bee's room.

As Naruto re-entered, he found Killer Bee panting, but in an upright position. He immediately went over and gently laid him back down, much to Killer Bee's dismay.

"Oi! What's the big idea?! It took me you guys' whole damn chat to sit up!" He yelped. Naruto chuckled as he tried to help his sensei get comfortable.

"Doc's orders sensei, sorry! You're skull fracture is healing really well, and the brain swelling form the concussion has gone down! He also said you can't go moving, but that they'll be in here to check on you, and they'll start talking physical therapy!" Naruto gushed.

"Told ya kid, i'm indestructible!" Killer Bee grinned, earning signature grin from Naruto.

"I love ya and all sensei, but I should get home, i am kinda tired." Naruto said, yawning in the process. Killer Bee laughed in return.

"Go ahead, get outta here buddy, i'll be alright" Killer Bee smiled as he grabbed a remote and began channel surfing.

"Night sensei!" He called as he left.

"Night brotha! Oh yeah, good job out there tonight!" Killer Bee called, earning a 'Thanks!' from Naruto, who was down the hall.

* * *

As he drove home, he smiled to himself. It had been one hell of a night. Not only had he finally settled the long running rivalry he had picked up with Kiba, but he'd also received 35 grand for it (20k win, 15k knockout of the night bonus). Checking the time, and seeing it was only 11:00, he decided on an impulsive date to end the night. Grabbing his phone, he punched in Hinata's number. After a series of ringing, he heard her angelic voice pick up, an couldn't help but grin like a maniac.

"Helloooo?" Hinata giggled.

"Yo Hime! let's go grab something to eat!" Naruto roared over the phone. Hinata nearly threw her phone across the room at the foghorn voice that erupted from the speaker.

"Why do you have to be so loud?" She whined. Naruto laughed.

"Oh come on, i'm not THAT BAD AM I?!" He screamed. He guffawed when he heard her drop her phone, followed by a string of obscenities.

"Stop doing that!" She screeched, only to be met with more laughter on the other end.

"Aha...eheh...oh man, i'm sorry, i'm sorry. Anyway, I know it's late, I know I left the fight and didn't celebrate, and I know you also love me, so you wanna grab something to eat?" He asked as sweetly as possible. He heard a heavy sigh, but could practically see the smile on her beautiful alabaster face.

"I guessss, where are you anyway, give me a few minutes and i'll drive out and meet you okay" she asked as she walked into room, only to be stopped as someone rang her doorbell.

"Hold up, someone's at the door. Who the hell could be here at 10 at night?!" she grumbled to herself.

"Yeah, kinda weird..." Naruto trailed off curiously.

Seeing no one through the peephole, she stuck her head out the door, only to scream in terror as Naruto jumped out from the corner. She acted completely out of instinct, and unfortunately for Naruto, it meant being judo thrown into the opposing wall.

"Oh my god! Naruto what the hell?! Don't do that, you know how I get when people scare me like that!" she squeaked as he sat up, still somewhat dazed, but smiling loopily. As she crouched down to check and see if he was okay, he pulled her down on top of him.

"Totally worth the pain" he laughed in her ear. She jolted upright and looked at him in fake shock before collapsing on him giggling.

"Man, we're weird, ya know?" Naruto commented as Hinata laid against him. She looked up smiling, yet still somewhat puzzled.

"How so?" she tilted her head.

"Apartment door open, two teenagers, one fresh outta the biggest fight of his life, one drop dead gorgeous, wearing nothing but panties and a tank-top". He erupted into laughter as realization struck her and she sprinted inside, blushing like mad.

As he walked in, he saw her wrapped in a blanket on the couch.

"I hate you!" she gave a muffled yell. Naruto just continued to laugh, before ripping the blanket from her, causing her to smirk. He pulled her to her feet and stood, holding her. He pressed his forehead to hers, and just stared at her lavender orb eyes. Slowly, he pressed his lips to hers, savoring their softness and taste. It was her who took the first step, pushing her tongue to meet Naruto's. Naruto was surprised at first, but inwardly smirked, and fought her for dominance. As they broke for breath, Hinata gave a deep, throaty purr, encouraging Naruto to continue.

"Ya know," he whispered, running his nails up her back under her tanktop, "we don't HAVE to go out to eat." he finished, biting her ear as he ran his hands all over her body, purposefully avoiding her breasts and ass for the time being. She could only shudder and moan in pleasure as he began worshiping her neck, shoulders, and collar with his mouth, licking, sucking, biting all the skin in view.

"Oh god Naru, please don't stop" she moaned. He grinned once more, pressing her to the wall, he grabbed her large, plump, but still firm ass, and picked her up. she quickly wrapped her firm, slender legs around him, and subconsciously grinded against him as he pressed his lips to hers once more. Still maintaining his grip on her ass, he began to walk towards her room, but suddenly stopped, and let her to the ground. Instantly, he spun around and grinded up against her, running his hands down her breasts, stomach, and hips, driving her crazy in anticipation. As he wrapped his arms around her toned stomach, he continued to grind against her, causing her to moan that much more.

"Actually," he breathed into her ear, running his tongue down her shoulder, "Go get dressed so we can go out to eat babe" he whispered, running his nails down her stomach as he walked away. She simply stood there, stunned.

"Oh COME ON! You can't just do that to me!" She yelled. He simply laughed. "Bastard" she grumbled as she threw on a pair of capris, a rise against t-shirt, and her sneakers.

* * *

Leaning against the car, Naruto a second to think about where he wanted to go with Hinata. They both really wanted each other, but still wanted to stave off the more intimate side of things for a while. '_I'm not sure how much longer that while is gonna last' _He chuckled to himself. Maybe tonight was the night, maybe not. His eyes lit up as he saw her walk towards the car, a pout on her face.

"Come on, don't be like that!" He laughed.

"Hmph" she simply grunted in response. Naruto chuckled in return.

"So watcha wanna do? Ramen? Burger? Sushi? Your pick!" He asked. Seeing she was trying to remain as resilient as possible, he decided to go ahead and nip it at the bud.

"Come on Hina, please?" He made his eyes as big as plates and frowned sadly, sticking his lip out for added effect. He smirked as he saw her resolve crumble. She giggled as she gave Naruto a peck on the cheek.

"It's no fair, you've got the eyes." she whined.

"Ha! Like your eyes don't break me in two whenever you want something!" He laughed. She giggled once more, getting in the car. He hopped in the driver's side and cranked the ignition

"Well? Where do you wanna go?" He asked eagerly as he pulled onto the street. She put her legs up on the dashboard, and tapped her elevated knees in thought. She looked to him and smiled.

"You know it's Monday, right?" she smirked. Naruto looked at her in horror, then let it melt into sadness.

"Okay, diet to stick to, I understand" he mumbled sadly, trying to contain his laughter.

"N-no! That's not what I m-meant! Of course we can eat!" she giggled.

"Yay!" he grinned. "So, that means Ichiraku's right?" he asked. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. Rummaging for his CD case, she heard her phone ring. She quickly grabbed it and answered.

"Ano? R-really? Thank you Kurenai-sensei! Thank you so much! Yes, I got it! I promise i'll remember! Yes! Okay, okay, Kin Tsuchi, July 12th for Valkyrie! Yes! Okay, bye!" Hinata shrieked in delight, while Naruto sat alternating between checking the road and staring at his opal-eyed girlfriend.

"What?" she cocked her head, giggling at Naruto's look of disbelief

"What do you mean 'what' ?! One second you're all giddy about Ichiraku's, the next you're screaming at Kurenai about some 'Kin' person at Valkyrie...or something like that, I don't know!" He returned. Hinata took a breath, and looked at him, smiling so big he swore he would go blind.

"Kurenai-sensei said I got a fight with the #4 female mixed martial artist in the world, Kin Tsuchi!" She squealed.

"NO WAY!" Naruto roared. Hinata giggled and nodded vigorously. "That's gotta be a title shot, right?!" He asked excitedly. He looked at her slightly puzzled when she frowned. "What is it Hina?" he asked.

"Not yet, the winner of mine and Kin's fight, then the winner of another to be determined bout fight. After these two fights, the winners fight, the the winner of THAT fight, gets the title shot. What?"

Naruto looked at her with a blank expression.

"Um. what?"

Hinata giggled.

* * *

The moon reflected off the onyx surface of the lake as the crickets chirped endlessly. The scene was perfect, only rivaled by the adorable couple that laid under the blanket of stars that surrounded the scene.

Until a burp that could rival an earthquake sounded out, followed by a stream of laughter.

"HINATA! I am shocked and appalled that you would be so un-ladylike!" Naruto guffawed, while the porcelain skinned beauty blushed a deep red.

"Shut up!" she mumbled as she pressed her finger together. "I don't see why it's so fun-!" She was silenced as the blonde brawler tackled her to the cool grass in a tight hug.

"I didn't say I didn't think it was awesome" he whispered as he held her close. She smiled as she nuzzled his neck and pulled him closer. Naruto smiled as he took the cue. Pinning her arms to the ground, he pressed his lips to hers. Hinata simply embraced him and pulled him closer, savoring the ramen on his lips, and the strong arms that binded her to him. Naruto rolled over and broke the kiss, allowing him and Hinata a full view of the stars that blanketed the sky of their nocturnal picnic.

"Wow, it's gorgeous." she breathed. Naruto ran his fingers through her long lavender hair, smiling as her eyes lit up at the scene under them.

"Man, there's the prettiest star!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Hinata's eyes to dart around in search of said star. She looked at him quizically in return.

"Where?" she asked.

He turned sideways so he could face her, his face only inches from hers.

"I'm looking at her" he whispered, staring deep into the opal orbs that were her eyes. She looked somewhat startled, but melted into a heartwarming smile and embraced the blonde brawler. He simply returned her hug with a smile.

"Come on babe, let's get outta here" he murmured to her. Hinata nodded into his shoulder, emitting a small squeak as she was picked up bridal style.

"Ya know, I did just have my fight...and I am reeeeallly tired...and i've still gotta take you home..." He trailed off, grinning down at the lavender hair goddess in his arms.

"Yes?" She cocked an eyebrow and smiled at him.

"It also looks like it might rain, and I get scared during thunderstorms. Can I sleep with you tonight?" He gave her his best set of puppy eyes, expanding his sapphire eyes to the size of dinner plates, even sticking his lip out for good measure.

"I dunno Naru...I've got training tomorrow..." She trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully. He let loose a few tears as his face turned sad.

"Okay, I understand" he mumbled glumly. She broke into a fit of giggles.

" I GUESS you can stay." She said to him.

"YAY!" he cried out, lifting her above his head and spinning her around. She laughed into the night as she was raised above him. Setting her down, he snaked his arms around her waist, and pressed his forehead to hers. As opal eyes met sapphire eyes, the two pressed their lips together softly, letting the moonlight cascade onto their moment.

"Come on Naruto-kun, let's go home." She smiled

"You get so sleepy at the drop of a dime Hinata-chan, I swear" Naruto chuckled as he carried her through the door to her apartment, much to her enjoyment. After the drive home, even if it was short, she could already feel sleep trying to drag her into it's embrace. With a smile, Naruto decided to take her inside.

"Hey Hina, i'm gonna hop in the shower, then i'll join you in bed." he whispered as he laid her in bed. She caught his wrist, and got up to follow him.

"I could use a shower too" She smiled seductively as she shed her sweatshirt and the shirt underneath. she smirked inwardly as Naruto froze and stared at her. She continued to strip in front of him, trying to drag it out as much as possible. When she was finally down to her bra and panties, she walked to him, swaying her hips the whole way.

"Come on Naruto-kun, let's go" she breathed into his ear. He shuddered, but stood still. He gulped, trying not to drool at the sight of the alabaster beauty that stood before him, practically naked.

"A-are you sure about this Hinata?" He asked weakly, already feeling any resolve he had begin to crumble. She looked back at him and pouted, pressing her curvaceous body to his.

"We don't have to if you don't want to, but it would make me reeeaaaally happy. Plus, there's this one spot on my back I can never seem to get, maybe you can help?" she whispered in his ear, her cool breath causing him to shiver. He shook his head, and grinned seductively before he began to take off his won clothes.

"Go ahead, i'll be in in a sec" he winked. She smiled slyly before walking to the bathroom, her hips swaying the whole way. Naruto all but ripped his shirt off, but paused when he reached his pants. Sitting down, he began to wonder if it was the right time to do this sort of thing with Hinata. Granted, yes he did love her, but he was sti-wait. Did he really just think that? His eyes widened in realization. He loved her. He loved everything about her. He loved her smile, her laugh, her hair, the way she was always there for him, the way she always listened to him. As he removed the rest of his garments, he figured it'd be best to go ahead and fess up.

He stopped when he heard her velvety voice projecting through the door. '_I still can't get over how well she sings'_ he chuckled to himself, opening the door. He set his towel down and stepped in the shower, closing the curtain behind him. When he turned to face her, he felt all the blood in his body rush to both his head and his raging member. she was wringing her hair out, still singing softly. The water seemed to make her porcelain skin shimmer as if it were glass. No longer able to contain himself, he walked slowly and wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling devilishly as he heard her gasp. Hinata began to rock side to side in his arms, biting her lips as his rather...large...member pressed against her ass. She emitted a moan of pleasure as Naruto sucked and teased her neck. He raked his nails down her back, hips, and thighs, before turning her around and pressing her to the wall of the shower. She resisted the urge to take him right there as he kissed her furiously. Without missing a beat, he began to gently massage her breasts, caressing her entire mouth with his tongue. She moaned in ecstasy as he barraged her with sexual pleasure, breaking the kiss to suck on her perky, pink nipples.

"Naruto, oh gods don't stop, please don't stop!" she moaned loudly. As if playing opposites, he stopped, and began planting kisses down her toned stomach, trailing down her navel, and he gave a hickey to each hip. She suddenly gave a sharp cry out. Looking down, she saw her a pair of dark ocean eyes staring back up at her from in between her toned, creamy thighs. She groaned again as she felt him push his tongue into her dripping wet jewel. She wrapped her legs around his head, running her fingers through his blonde locks, and couldn't resist thrusting upon his face. Naruto smirked as he dragged his tongue along her clit, before pushing it back inside to hit just shy of her g-spot. Hinata' breath hitched in her throat as he crept closer and closer to her point of ultimate pleasure. White lightning shot through her vision as Naruto simultaneously shoved his tongue and finger inside of her and squeezed her nipples.

"Naruto I'm gonna cum!" she managed to squeak as she orgasmed, releasing her juices to her blonde haired boyfriend. He smiled slyly at her, as he slowly dragged his entrenched tongue out of Hinata's dripping wet pussy.

"Tastes better than ramen baby" he whispered huskily in her ear, making her shiver. She raised one of his hands and sucked his fingers, somehow becoming even more turned on from tasting her own cum.

"You're right" she winked back. Naruto gently began kissing her again, pressing his chiseled, tan body to her lean, gorgeously pale one. She glided her hand down and pumped his throbbing member, trying not to let her shock at it's size show on her face. She looked at him quizzically when he paused.

"Hina-chan, are you positive you wanna do this? I mean..." He trailed off uncertainly. A light pink blush dusted her cheeks.

"Y-yes, it's something I really want. Do you n-not w-want it?" she asked, her voice a mixture of timidity and sadness. Naruto quickly pressed his lips to her once more, throwing away any hesitation and doubts either of them had. Breaking the kiss, he firmly grasped her ass and picked her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around him. She bit her lip in anticipation as he teased her netherlips with the head of his throbbing member. He pressed his forehead to hers and looked deep into her lavender-orbed eyes.

"Ready?" he asked tentatively. She nodded with a sexy smile. Naruto elicited a moan from the pale beauty as he gently pushed up into her, gritting his teeth at her tightness. He looked at her with a devilish smirk when he realized she had no hymen.

"Not so innocent, are we Hina-chan?" he grunted as he thrusted into the alabaster beauty.

"N-no! I t-tore it, oh god Naruto, I tore it while I was trainINGG" she panted, yelping as he gave quick thrust. He slowly began to pick up his pace, much to both of their pleasure. Naruto decided to pick up the pace a little bit, and using the wall as leverage, he began to massage her breasts in beat with his thrusts, causing her to force her lips onto his, all the while digging her nails into her blonde lover's back.

"Oh my god...So big...Naru...oh god don't stop, please don't stop!" she moaned as Naruto kept pounding with his powerful thrusts. Deciding to take a different approach, he began lifting her up as he drew out, only to slam her back down. The effect was instantaneous, she opened her mouth in a silent scream as Naruto continued to slam her down on his huge cock. Minutes, hours, seconds, time seemed to not affect the two lovers as they ravished one another endlessly, warm water cascading down their bodies, tongues performing a sensual dance, moans becoming nothing but music to their ears. For what seemed like the thousandth time that night, Naruto heard Hinata screech as she came her brains out. He finally felt his libido beginning to wane, and, just in time, he pulled out of her dripping snatch before having what seemed to be the best orgasm of his life. Panting, he slunked down to the bottom of the tub, Hinata in his arms.

"That was...whoa" Naruto breathed as Hinata drew circles on his tan, chiseled chest. He turned off the shower and got them both a towel before sluggishly putting on his pants. He shrugged, figuring it would be enough clothing. He walked into her room and flopped down onto the bed. He looked up when he saw her enter, a small frown adorning her otherwise flawless alabaster face.

"what is it Hina-chan?" he asked tiredly. She tugged at her panties slightly before falling into bed beside Naruto.

"Nothin babe, I just think i'll be walking funny for a few days" she giggled. He chuckled sleepily, and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled against him, and within seconds he was asleep.

"I also think my water bill is gonna be REALLY high this month..." she mumbled as she drifted off.

**Bout time we got a lemon, if I do say so myself! Hopefully this chapter was nice, I think it was one of the better ones so far.**

**As always, feedback, good, bad, or ugly, is greatly appreciated! So get those reviews in everyone! Also, go vote on the polls!**

**Anyway, cya next time everyone, thanks for reading :D.**

**urnextnoob-out.**


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